The Morning After: Clippers Soar To Victory Over Hawks

Big Improvements on Defense

For a while there, it seemed like the Clippers were going to have to rely simply on offensive prowess to win while Chris Paul sits. During the first several games of the stretch, they were giving up roughly 100 points a night through three quarters. A lot of that was due to the fact that they were playing some of the top teams in the league, including Golden State (twice), Boston, and Toronto. For the last three games, though, they’ve turned a new leaf – allowing an average of just 86 points per game against the Hornets, Jazz, and Hawks. While these aren’t exactly elite teams,

Rather than going into the All-Star break on a slump, an all-around defensive effort has guided the Clippers to a four-game win streak. LA has also overtaken the Jazz for the fourth seed in the conference, and now trail Houston by just four games.

It’s also worth noting that the Clippers forced 20 turnovers last night, 18 of which came from steals. Wesley Johnson and Raymond Felton each had four to their name, and Austin Rivers had three.

After last night’s game, the Clippers improved to 19-3 overall when they hold opponents under 100 points.