The Los Angeles Clippers get a break from the Western Conference grind when they continue a seven-game road trip with a visit to the Charlotte Hornets on Monday. After winning the first two games on the trip over Eastern Conference foes, the Clippers were pasted 107-91 at Memphis on Sunday. They have a chance to rebound with their next two games against teams near the bottom of the standings in the East in Charlotte and Detroit.
The tough losses are piling up for the Hornets, who saw two potential game-winners miss in the final seconds of a 94-93 defeat at Miami on Sunday, two nights after blowing a 23-point lead in a loss to Orlando. "The stretch of games we have played has definitely taken their toll on our confidence," Hornets coach Steve Clifford told reporters after his team lost its fifth straight game. The Clippers were outscored 52-32 in the paint against Memphis and will face another tough task against Charlotte's Al Jefferson, who has topped 20 points nine times in his last 12 games.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, Prime Ticket (Los Angeles), SportSouth (Charlotte)
ABOUT THE CLIPPERS (7-5): Los Angeles has been maddeningly inconsistent coming out of the gate — after racing to a 39-15 lead after one quarter Thursday at Miami, the Clippers fell behind early at Memphis and trailed after the first period for the sixth time in their 12 games. It's also concerning that a team that boasts Blake Griffin (22.2 points, 6.8 rebounds) and DeAndre Jordan (8.2 points, 11.4 rebounds) could be manhandled inside as badly as the Clippers were against the Grizzlies. One of the few bright spots in Memphis was point guard Chris Paul (18.3 points, 9.5 assists), who scored a team-high 22 points and stuffed the stat sheet with five rebounds, five assists and four steals.
ABOUT THE HORNETS (4-10): Charlotte has five losses by three points or fewer as its failure to execute late in close games becomes a mounting problem. Both of the team's top offensive players — Jefferson (21 points, 7.4 rebounds) and Kemba Walker (14.6 points, 4.9 assists, 4.8 rebounds) — had shots rim out in the final seconds in Miami. The Hornets are getting good production off the bench from shooting guard Gary Neal (12.7 points), but they miss the presence of forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, who has missed the past six games with a stress reaction in his right foot.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Clippers SG Jamal Crawford (1,718) needs one 3-point field goal to tie Dale Ellis for 10th on the NBA's all-time list.
2. Jefferson has scored in double figures in 38 of his last 39 regular-season games.
3. Los Angeles has won 32 consecutive games when shooting 50 percent or better from the floor, the second-longest active streak in the league (Chicago, 46).