Clippers at Rockets
The Los Angeles Clippers aim to post their sixth consecutive victory when they visit the Houston Rockets on Thursday. The Clippers recorded four double-digit triumphs during the streak, including Tuesday's 109-94 road win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.
All-Star Game MVP Kawhi Leonard scored 25 points in Tuesday's win over the Thunder but said he is unsure if the winning streak has the Clippers playing close to their potential. "I don't know because I don't know what our potential is," Leonard told reporters. "You never know how good a team can be. But we're going to strive to be the best team we can. We're not complacent, we want to keep getting better and hopefully reach the goal." Houston had a six-game winning streak halted when it sustained a disappointing 125-123 road loss to the New York Knicks on Monday. "Can't take games like this lightly," star point guard Russell Westbrook told reporters. "It's the NBA. Everybody goes out and competes. You've got to be ready to play."
TIME: 8 p.m. ET. TV: TNT, Prime Ticket, TSN4
ABOUT THE CLIPPERS (42-19): Keeping forward Paul George healthy for the stretch run is a key desire and he is averaging 21.3 points over the past three games after having 16 versus the Thunder. George had offseason surgeries on both shoulders and has dealt with multiple hamstring injuries while being limited to just 39 games. "Our whole thing is just getting ready and being ready for the playoffs," coach Doc Rivers said. "And for (George), he's just missed so much. You can see him picking up for sure. I think he still has conditioning to do, which is so late in the season to be saying that, but with his injuries and the type of injuries he's had, he's not been able to run. So the last four or five games, you can see it."
ABOUT THE ROCKETS (39-21): Houston resides in fourth place in the Western Conference and stands 2 1/2 games behind the second-place Clippers, so this contest rates as a big one. A bounce-back effort is certainly needed after the showing against the Knicks in which the club let the game get away despite 35 points and eight assists from All-Star guard James Harden, "We weren't consistent with our defensive principles throughout the course of the game and we paid for it," Harden said afterward. "Simple."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Rockets are 2-1 against the Clippers this season, including a 102-93 home win on Nov. 13.
2. Houston F Robert Covington has averaged 18 points and 14.5 rebounds while notching back-to-back double-doubles.
3. The win over Oklahoma City elevated Rivers to 12th place on the all-time wins list with 936, snapping a tie with Dick Motta.