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LA Clippers: Blake Griffin, Luc Mbah a Moute are an elite defensive duo

By Tom West

December 21, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder center Steven Adams (12) plays for the ball against Los Angeles Clippers forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (12) and forward Blake Griffin (32) during the first half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
December 21, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder center Steven Adams (12) plays for the ball against Los Angeles Clippers forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (12) and forward Blake Griffin (32) during the first half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /
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The LA Clippers’ defense has been awfully impressive to start the 2016-17 NBA season, and Blake Griffin and Luc Mbah a Moute defending better than ever has been a vital part of it.

December 21, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder center Steven Adams (12) plays for the ball against LA Clippers forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (12) and forward Blake Griffin (32) during the first half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
December 21, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder center Steven Adams (12) plays for the ball against LA Clippers forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (12) and forward Blake Griffin (32) during the first half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /

The 2016-17 NBA season is well underway and we’re starting to approach the point (around the 20-game mark) where we leave the “small sample size” period behind. It’s a time after a few games when we can dismiss trends as purely premature or questionable, and can’t really start gauging how good teams can be. For the LA Clippers, this means we’ll be able to acknowledge what they’ve done even more in their 12-2 start.

They now rank 2nd in both offensive and defensive efficiency, which is nothing but exceptional, even for a relatively small 14-game stretch. They’ve been locked in at both ends, and except for a slow start out the gate on offense and a couple of uncharacteristic defensive lapses in the last few games, they’ve been rock solid.

Many haven’t been too hesitant in naming these Clippers as the NBA’s best team right now. For that to even be considered a fair point and not laughed off due to the overpowering dominance of the Golden State Warriors says a lot about how good this Clippers team really is.

They’re benefiting from more roster continuity and bolstered depth than ever before, completing a unit that’s looked cohesive and engaged to support one of the top starting lineups of the last few years.

At the forefront of the starting lineup, behind an early MVP caliber spell of play from Chris Paul, has been the terrific forward duo that is Blake Griffin and Luc Mbah a Moute.

They’ve been so good that both rank in the top five power forwards in Defensive Real Plus/Minus, a stat that estimates a player’s impact when they’re on the court and how many points are allowed per 100 possessions in that time.

To help the Clippers maintain the NBA’s best record at 12-2, Blake and Luc have combined as an integral defensive duo in the league’s top five-man lineup — L.A.’s starters — with a +10.4 net rating. For some context, their net rating more than doubles that of the reigning champion Cleveland Cavaliers’ starters (+4.6).

Defense has been absolutely essential to this, and both Blake and Luc have done nothing but go above and beyond early expectations and play at the best level of their careers. Let’s dive into what each player has done so well.

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