The Clippers took flight Monday afternoon on the wings of a 17-game winning streak and a perfect December.
Their destination: Denver. Their task: avoiding a stumble during what is arguably their toughest stretch of games so far this season.
They realize that extending their winning streak won’t be easy, with back-to-back road games at Denver and Golden State starting Tuesday followed by another back-to-back series at home against the Lakers and Golden State starting Friday. Four games in five nights, none of them easy.
“This is going to probably be the toughest stretch in five days that we’ve had,” forward Blake Griffin said Sunday night after the Clippers’ 107-96 win over the Utah Jazz. “It will be a good test for us, but we’re not going into each game worried about it. We’re just going out and playing our game, and whatever happens, happens.”
The Clippers have a franchise-record seven-game road winning streak and a league-best 10-3 record away from Staples Center. And although they’ve won their last two games at Denver, the Nuggets carry a 9-1 home record into the game.
The Nuggets’ high energy and fast pace, mixed with the mile-high altitude, make it difficult for teams to adjust to playing at Pepsi Center.
“It’ll burn your lungs a little bit,” coach Vinny Del Negro said, “but then you get used to it and you get your second wind.”
The Clippers will carry heaps of momentum into their upcoming games after finishing off a 16-0 December and becoming only the third team in NBA history to go 16-0 in one month. Del Negro was a member of the last team to do it, the 1995-96 San Antonio Spurs.
Combined with a victory over Minnesota on Nov. 28, the Clippers have won 17 in a row, joining a group of 16 other teams to win 17 or more in succession.
“We don’t talk about it as a team,” Griffin said of the streak. “It just happens. But we’re having a blast, we’re having fun, and that’s the best part about it. It’s not like one of those things where there’s so much pressure to keep going, to keep winning. We’re just going out and playing.”
When will it end? The Clippers will have difficulty getting through the week without losing at least once. They struggled in the fourth quarter before beating the Nuggets on Christmas Day at Staples, and the crowd at Denver is especially boisterous. The Golden State Warriors are the surprise team in the Western Conference with a 21-10 record, and the Lakers are, well, the Lakers — regardless of their record.
“This is definitely a tough week, starting off in Denver,” Chris Paul said. “For us, though, we don’t look past anybody. Right now we’re just focused on Jan. 1.”
Center DeAndre Jordan said, “It’s going to be tough, man. But if we play the right way, play our defensive principles, and everybody stays healthy, our confidence is high.”
After a fine December, it should be.
