Clippers are going good and just want to keep it going

Eighty-one games have been crossed off the Clippers’ NBA docket, leaving them with one last regular-season contest to continue defining who they have become and to secure the home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

They have shored up so many holes in their game over the last three weeks that the Clippers have gained a measure of confidence with the playoffs beginning this weekend.

“I think we know who we are. I think we know what makes us go,� forward Blake Griffin said Monday night after the Clippers’ victory over Houston pushed their winning streak to six games. “When we’re playing at our best, I think we really come to an understanding as a team how to get there. When you have as many injuries as we did, the ups and downs of the season, the length of the season, we went through a lot of adversity. I think when you go through it, you always say, ‘When we come out on the other side we’ll be better for it.’ But I truly believe we are.�

Griffin was sidelined for 18 games to recover from right knee surgery. Chris Paul was out 14 games after having surgery on his left thumb. Austin Rivers has been out for the last five games with a left hamstring injury, and he’s not expected back until sometime during the playoffs.

Through it all, the Clippers have persevered, holding the same 50-31 record as the Utah Jazz.

Now all the Clippers have to do is beat the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday night at Staples Center and they will clinch the fourth seed in the Western Conference, which would give them home-court advantage against Utah in a best-of-seven first-round playoff series that would start at Staples Center with Games 1 and 2. The Jazz plays San Antonio on Wednesday night in Salt Lake City.

“Having to figure out how to play without CP (Paul), having to figure out how to play without different guys, it’s a challenge to a team in the middle of the season,� Griffin said. “I think this team has grown a lot through 81 games so far, maybe more than any other season that we’ve had here.�

The Clippers have won 10 of their last 12 games, a sign of how much their play has improved. They are playing better defense. They are more efficient on offense. They are shooting better. They are playing with better pace.

“I think we’re playing our best at the right time,� guard Jamal Crawford said after Monday’s game. “When we were 14-2 [at the start of the season], we were fresh. It was new. It was exciting. Now we’re, like Blake said, we’ve been through some things. Not all good. We’ve come out on the other side. So I think we’re playing our best basketball at the right time. We know exactly what to do night in and night out. I think that’s going to bode well for us going forward.�

UP NEXT FOR CLIPPERS

VS SACRAMENTO

When: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Where: Staples Center.

On the air: TV: Prime Ticket; Radio: 1150, 1330.

Records: Clippers 50-31, Kings 31-49 before Tuesday.

Records vs. Kings: 2-1.

Update: The Clippers have shot at least 50% from the field in six straight games, the longest streak in the NBA. The Clippers are 27-4 this season when making at least 50% of their field-goal attempts. The Kings rank 23rd in the league in field-goal percentage defense. Their opponents have made 46.3% of their shots.

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