Clippers at Cavaliers
A two-game road trip to the Midwest has set up nicely for the Los Angeles Clippers, who beat the Indiana Pacers without suspended center Roy Hibbert on Thursday night and may avoid All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving in Friday's matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Irving has missed the past two games with a hyperextended knee and will be a game-time decision. The Cavaliers have won both games without Irving and are 4-1 in their last five to wrap up their first winning month since March 2010.
Los Angeles has won three straight and seven of eight, but they have had their problems with the Cavaliers, particularly in Cleveland. The Clippers have lost 13 of the last 15 meetings overall and 10 straight in Cleveland. They took down one of the league's toughest home teams in the Pacers to clinch back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 1976, when the franchise was still in Buffalo. Point guard Chris Paul had his best offensive output in nearly two months with 29 points vs. the Pacers.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, Prime Ticket (Los Angeles), Fox Sports Ohio (Cleveland)
ABOUT THE CLIPPERS (42-18): Los Angeles got a brief scare when center DeAndre Jordan had his nose bloodied early in the third quarter and had to leave the game, but he returned briefly in the fourth after X-rays were negative. Forward Blake Griffin did the heavy lifting inside with his 24th double-double, scoring 18 points and pulling down 14 rebounds. Shooting guard Chauncey Phillips is struggling to find his form. For the second straight game, he scored three points on 1-for-6 shooting.
ABOUT THE CAVALIERS (20-38): Rookie guard Dion Waiters continues to carry the offense in Irving's absence, averaging 24.7 points in the last three games. The Clippers got an early glimpse of his ability in a home loss to the Cavaliers during the first week of November, when Waiters hit seven 3-pointers and scored a season-high 28 points. Veteran Shaun Livingston has performed admirably in starting the past two games in place of Irving, scoring 15 points in each and shooting a combined 10-of-18.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Clippers haven't won in Cleveland since March 2002.
2. After losing 25 of their first 32 games, the cavaliers are 13-13 since Jan. 1
3. Thursday's 99-91 win over Indiana was Los Angeles' narrowest margin of victory in its last seven wins.