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The Clippers going for their tenth straight win

While the home team are awaiting the game in great form, Miami are going on their fourth straight away game with two back-to-back defeats

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Just how fun the NBA league is, is proved by the Los Angeles Clippers case. They have been struggling for the most of the season, and it seemed they could have serious problems when they lost Blake Griffin (23.2 pts, 8.7 rebounds, 5.0 assists), but it seems his absence just further motivated other players. 

- We are happy we are winning and we want to keep it up, but it is clear that we are much better with Blake. When you lose someone as important as he is, everyone knows it is time to step up. We often simply pass the ball to him and watch him do his thing. I think we are now playing better defense and we are trying to keep it up until he gets back - said Chris Paul. 

Doc Rivers' team earned their 9th straight win on Sunday when they defeated Pelicans 114-111 after overtime at the Staples Center. After a bad first quarter, the Clippers played great in the second quarter in which they scored 37 points, but the away team would not break, even though they were without Anthony Davis. With a lot of skill, they earned the overtime in which the home team's experience was the deciding factor after all. 

- Since Davis was absent, everyone else were additionally motivated. I think this was a difficult game because we had to play it in early afternoon after we played the day before. We had a lot of chances to solve the game. We didn't play great, but we still won - Coach Doc Rivers commented. His team have been scoring 110.5 points in the last eight games. 

In their previous eight games, the Clippers have limited their opponents to only 95.6 points and 42,9% of shots, but the Pelicans caused problems for them with constant breaches into the paint, and they earned 15 offensive rebounds with which they compensated for weak shooting efficiency (40%). 

- Last year we lost to them when Davis was absent. I said to Paul Pierce before the game that I wish he was playing because then we at least know to whom the ball is going. When he is out, everyone else takes over a part of his responsibility and it is in a way more difficult to play defense. We didn't shoot well on Saturday, but we won because of our defense. On Sunday we weren't so good defensively, they came to the paint and scored, but we luckily managed to win. You cannot always win by a lot of points - said Chris Paul who was excellent with 25 points (10/18), five rebounds and 11 assists. 

Jamal Crawford helped with 21 points (8/16), Wesley Johnson with 15, and DeAndre Jordan scored 12 points (4/6) and 11 rebounds with standard 4/10 from the free throw line. That wasn't J.J. Redick's night, he stopped at 11 points (2/19) after he scored 21.0 points and 64.3% of three pointer shots in previous five games. 

So the Clippers advanced to 8-0 record since they lost one of their best players whose return is expected at the end of next week. 

Miami have started their long road trip with a win at the Suns, but they had no solutions for the Jazzers and the Warriors. With those two back-to-back defeats, Atlanta passed them on the fourth position on the East, and the Pacers and the Pistons are threatening behind them. 

Their defense had no solution for Curry and his team since they lost 111-103, but they competed well. Especially in the first half which ended 56-54 for the Warriors. In the second half they scored the first two points and evened the score, but then they conceded eight back-to-back points and they couldn't get back after that. They were down by 13 in the final quarter, and they couldn't make a comeback. 

- They knew how to punish our every mistake. They boys fought and that gave us a chance, but we couldn't get back in the final moments of the game - said coach Eric Spoelstra. 

He sent rookie Winslow, for whom this was the first career start, out on the field instead injured Whiteside. He finished the game with 7 points and 3/8 shots. 

Even though his shots weren't great, Wade finished the game with 20 points, 7 rebounds and 11 assists. Bosh and Green scored 15 points each, and Bosh also made 12 rebounds. Deng had a double-double performance with 14 points and 10 rebounds, while Dragic and Johnson added 13 points each. 

They will definitely use so much diversity in the offense against the Clippers who are in great form. This will be their first head-to-head game this season, and the away team won in the last two, and quite convincingly.