Feb.14, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan (6), power forward Blake Griffin (32) and point guard Chris Paul (3) on the bench in the second half of the game against the Los Angeles Lakers at the Staples Center. Clippers won 125-101. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

After losing a close game to Washington during the Clippers’ “Grammy” road trip, the tired, injured, and depleted team flew to their following contest at Orlando with even more bad news; Blake Griffin (strained hamstring) and Jamal Crawford (broken nose) would not be available. With Chris Paul and Chauncey Billups already sidelined, they would have to play the game minus their four best players.

At that point, the team’s record on their trip was 1-3 and Los Angeles had every excuse to go 1-4 in Florida. Down by six early in the 2nd quarter, the patchwork lineup began showing signs of life, climbing to within 2 points by halftime, eventually winning the ugly affair (Orlando was equally hampered by injuries to key players) 86-76. Eric Bledsoe carried the night with a career-high 27 points, getting a surprising boost from Ryan Hollins (13 points and 8 rebounds) and enough defensive intensity from the rest of their patchwork lineup to halt their slide.

After the game, they received some encouraging news; Blake Griffin and Jamal Crawford would return and there were murmurs that Chris Paul and Chauncey Billups were scheduled to play two nights later in Miami.

That Friday, the full squad took the floor for the first time in months against the Miami Heat. Looking rusty, they hung tough and were down only a point after one quarter before the Heat buried them the rest of the way, winning 111-89. Despite being beaten badly, Chris Paul sounded upbeat.

“We lost to a good team over there, but we’re not going to hang our heads. You never want to make excuses but they shot the lights out of the ball. We never really made an impact defensively. LeBron, Mario, all those guys were on a rocking chair all night.”

Two days later, Paul’s – and Clipper fans everywhere – optimism was rewarded with a convincing win at Madison Square Garden against the New York Knicks, followed by a dominating win at Philadelphia over the Sixers. Just like that, the Clippers ended their long, eight game away stretch at 4-4. More importantly, they now looked more like the team that went 31-9 and held the NBA’s best record before Paul’s injury.

Now back home and at full strenght, LA would subsequently cruise to a relatively easy victory over the Houston Rockets (who were missing James Harden) before facing their Staples Center co-tenants and going into the All-Star break for a seven day respite.

Most of the Prime Ticket and ESPN Radio talking heads figured the game against the Lakers would be a close affair; the purple and gold had won 8 of their last 11 coming in and were desperate to go into the break with a win over a quality opponent (let alone the Clippers) and continue to climb back to .500. They also had the opportunity – thanks to the Clippers win over the Rockets the previous night – to gain a game in the standings toward the 8th playoff spot. The Clippers, for their part, were playing, albeit at Staples, the second night of a back to back, and their fourth game in five days. With a firm grip on the third seed in the Western Conference playoff race, would they have the necessary motivation to win?

That question was immediately answered with a 15-0 run to open the game, the Clippers displaying every weapon in their arsenal and running the over matched Lakers off their home floor 125-101. Shaquille O’Neal, on the TNT post game show, lamented how surreal it was to see the Clippers “toying” with the Lakers. The Clippers simply overwhelmed the Lakers in every way imaginable, who will now spend the next five days trying to find a formula to counteract old age, lack of speed, and wanting chemistry.

For the Clippers, who climbed to 1 1/2 games back for the Western Conference’s second playoff seed after Oklahoma City lost to Miami, they now take a four game winning streak into the second half of the season and, more importantly, a healthy roster. With 26 games remaining – 15 of which are at home (10 against sub .500 teams) – they have a prime opportunity to emerge with a top two finish and make a deep playoff run.

Note: We at Fully Clips send out our sincere thoughts, prayers, and best wishes to Dr. Jerry Buss as he battles illness. Get well, Dr. Buss, beating the Lakers just won’t feel the same unless you are around to see it!

January 4, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard (12) looks on as Los Angeles Clippers power forward Blake Griffin (32) dunks during the game at the Staples Center. Clippers won 107-102. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Tonight’s game brings the healthy and resurgent Los Angeles Clippers into conflict with their Staples Center co-tenants, and also somewhat resurgent, Los Angeles Lakers. The Clippers are on a modest three game winning streak, while the Lakers have won eight of their last eleven and climbed to within both three games of a .500 record and, simultaneously, the eight playoff seed behind Houston. The Clippers helped the Lakers cause by beating Houston on Wednesday night, but could take the favor right back if they defeat the Lakers tonight. Here are the keys to tonight’s entertaining match up:

Chris Paul vs. Steve Nash

It’s two Hall of Fame point guards you’ll be privileged to watch tonight, Nash with his two MVP awards and top five all-time assists total, against the league’s best point guard currently playing. Look for Nash to be more aggressive, especially from the 3-point line, as the Clippers defense is somewhat weak in guarding from long range. Nash can also still throw a mean pass, though without Pau Gasol he can’t run the pick and roll quite as well with Dwight Howard, who isn’t adept at either rolling or catching in motion. Chris Paul, by contrast, has two deadly pick and roll weapons in Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan, so look for him to involve both early to try to get Howard into foul trouble if the Lakers defense fails to rotate and help. Defense is a glaring weakness for Nash, while Paul leads the league in steals and will hound Nash every minute. Last time these two met, Paul took over and led the Clippers to a hard fought and close win. Advantage: Clippers.

Dwight Howard vs. DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin

It will be interesting to see how the Lakers approach defending Griffin and Jordan, as  last time around Griffin went for 24 points and 5 rebounds, while Jordan scored 8 and pulled down 9 boards. That was with Jordan Hill and Pau Gasol in the lineup; this time around, it will be entirely up to Howard to hold down the middle and the Clippers have lots of big bodies in reserve to hound and foul Howard to make him earn his points at the free throw line (where he’s been terrible all season). The Lakers may try to go small and take their chances outside, and if they get hot it may take some of the pressure off Howard, but that also depends on which Dwight Howard shows up. Advantage: Clippers.

Lob Deep vs. ???

The Lakers bench, let’s face it, is one of the league’s worst. Injuries have only contributed to their lack of depth and D’Antoni may simply decide to forgo using his bench much at all. With the All-star break looming and the Lakers needing every win they can get, look for the starters to play heavy minutes, with the only real substitution perhaps being Steve Blake coming in to give Steve Nash a break. Jodie Meeks may see a few limited minutes and Antawn Jamison will get a look as he’s been playing a bit better of late. All that said, the Clippers have depth galore and can constantly rotate in fresh bodies to defend and keep their starters fresh for a strong finish. Jamal Crawford should have a field day and Eric Bledsoe is a definite upgrade over Steve Blake in almost every category. Advantage: Clippers

Defense and turnovers.

It’s no secret that the Lakers struggle to stop, well, anything. “Old and slow,” as the saying goes, and the Lakers are especially weak in transition, where the Clippers thrive. The Lakers must protect the ball at all costs and try to slow things down, start running back as their shots are literally in the air, and foul at the slightest hint of the Clippers getting out on the run. With Chauncey Billups and his outside shooting back on the court, the Lakers will have their hands full guarding the perimeter as the Clippers starting unit has three legitimate outside threats in Paul, Caron Butler, and Billups to go along with size down low. The Clippers defense, as mentioned before, is susceptible to the 3-point shot as witnessed in Miami last Friday, Boston before them, and the Golden State Warriors most of all. If the Lakers can get hot from deep, they could force the Clippers defense to overplay and present inside opportunities for cutters like Bryant and Jamison. The strategy will probably be to let Earl Clark and Metta World Peace bomb away and accept the consequences and if those two can knock down shots it will spell trouble. Still, that’s a lot of ifs. Advantage: Clippers.

Motivation

Let’s face it, the Clippers don’t really need this game as their hold on the number three playoff spot is all but assured given their remaining, home-heavy schedule. After a tough, two week road trip and playing the second night of a back to back, it will be up to Chris Paul and coach Vinnie Del Negro to generate the necessary energy and focus against a team the players will be tempted to overlook. The Lakers, on the other hand, need this one badly. They have very few victories over quality opponents and are still under .500 looking up at the eighth playoff seed. Kobe Bryant is still as dangerous as any player in the league and will not go down without a fight (nor will he take only 8 shots). The Lakers could pull this one out against the odds, though daunting to say the least. Advantage: Lakers.

Prediction: Clippers 108, Lakers 98.