Simply put, the Clippers' goal is to “make the playoffs,” coach Tyronn Lue said, and not be a play-in team.
The Clippers moved closer to that goal Friday in a 114-91 rout of the Dallas Mavericks at the Intuit Dome.
Having won 10 of their last 12 games, the Clippers are putting themselves in position to potentially avoid the play-in the tight Western Conference playoff race.
At 45-32, the Clippers are tied with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Memphis Grizzlies, one game behind the fifth–seeded Golden State Warriors. The Clippers are seventh in the West with five games left in the regular season, three against teams jockeying to secure a playoff berth at sixth or higher.
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“Everyone is in a playoff mode already,” said Clippers center Ivica Zubac, who was strong again with 14 points and 13 rebounds. “Everyone is trying to stay out of the play-in. You don’t want to depend on one game or two games for your seed, for your chances to get into the playoffs. You want to get out of it. You want to make that top six so everyone is fighting for the playoff spots.
“Everyone is treating every game like the playoffs. Honestly, it’s fun. I think what the NBA did with that play-in, I think it’s a really good thing. It’s very competitive and it’s been good. The last few weeks have been fun. You just kind of lock in, treat it as a playoff game, a must-win, and I’m sure other teams are like that too.”
Against a depleted Dallas team, the Clippers built a 35-point lead and basically coasted. Six Clippers scored in double figures and none played more than 32 minutes.
Kawhi Leonard led the way with 20 points on eight-for-17 shooting with six rebounds and two assists.
Norman Powell was solid, finishing with 14 points and shooting two for five from three-point range to give him a career-high 172 threes this season.
James Harden had 13 points and five assists.
“Going into the playoffs playing well, that’s our main goal,” Lue said. “We know a lot of teams are jumbled up right now. So, we just got to take care of business, a game at a time and try to separate ourselves the best we can.”
In Lue’s eyes, the Clippers are meeting the moment at a critical ...
