Dec 17, 2012; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Los Angeles Clippers power forward Blake Griffin (32) blocks Detroit Pistons small forward Kyle Singler (25) during the fourth quarter at The Palace. Clippers won 88-76. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

They can’t all be like Milwaukee.

No, sometimes they get ugly, as in Detroit ugly. Sloppy, grinding, awkward affairs that force the Clippers to fight and scratch to earn their victories.

It was that kind of night. Coming on the heels of a 26 point blowout of the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night, the Clippers finished up their fourth and final game of an eastern swing with an 88-76 win that saw them notch their 10th straight victory. They are now only two shy of the all-time franchise record of 12 in a row, set back when Coach Vinnie Del Negro was still in diapers and the Clippers were the Buffalo Braves.

I definitely had a case of the jitters before the contest started; after all, here in SoCal it’s been cold, drizzly, and overcast the better part of a week. That’s never a good omen. Would the Clippers take the Pistons, losers of five straight – seriously?

Defensively, they certainly did. Both the starting and reserve units smothered the Pistons into 40% from the field on only 71 shot attempts. Lamar Odom was particularly active, trapping ball handlers and registering two key blocks, while Matt Barnes helped the Clippers collect 42 rebounds, 12 of them offensive.

Scoring-wise, five Clipper players had double-digit nights, led by Blake Griffin and Jamal Crawford’s matching 15, Chris Paul’s 14, Caron Butler’s 11, and Matt Barnes’ 10. For those counting, the Clippers are a mind-blowing 14-1 when Barnes scores 10 or more points.

Brandon Knight led the Pistons with 16 points.

A more detailed writeup coming soon…