It wasn’t long ago that the Los Angeles Clippers were considered a disaster and a failure. The team had some serious questions about their potential and their future coming into the season, but still boasted one of the more talented rosters in the Western Conference. They pushed all of their chips into the middle of the table early in the year when they traded for James Harden, hoping that a “big 4” would work for the team and be this year’s formula for an NBA championship.
Clippers Are The Hottest Team In The NBA
CLIPPERS HAVE WON 9 STRAIGHT GAMES. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/QIAyzQksYD
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) December 21, 2023
It started off ugly. Following the Harden trade, the Clippers lost six straight games while integrating him into the lineup and rotation. There were plenty who wrote the team off for good, and there was the infamous viral video of Bally Sports Southwest NBA analyst Brian Demeris disparaging and down-talking the entire situation.
But Harden and company took notes. They improved during the second half of November, bringing what was once a 3-7 record to 8-10 by the time December 1st rolled out.
They haven’t lost a game since. The Clippers are undefeated in the month of December, having won all 9 of their games, including victories over the Nuggets, Kings, Pacers, Mavericks, and the Warriors twice. Their most recent win came over Dallas, as Los Angeles’ defense was able to force Luka Dončić into perhaps his worst shooting night of the season, while seven different Clippers finished in double figures.
LA Making A Push Into The Top 3
“OH MY! HOT DAMN!”
Russ & Harden’s reaction to this move by Kawhi during the Clippers 9th win in a row 🤣 pic.twitter.com/gRrrSvm5Bi— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) December 21, 2023
On November 15th, when the Clippers were 3-7, they were in 12th place in the Western Conference. A little more than a month later, they are the hottest team in the NBA, and surged up the standings and are now sitting in 4th place as we enter Christmas weekend. They are just a game back of the Nuggets and Thunder for the 2nd and 3rd spots, and just 3.5 back of the first place Timberwolves.
One of their tougher tests of the streak will come tonight in their game against OKC. The Clippers will be playing the second of a back-to-back on Thursday night, a road game against the Thunder with a chance to gain some serious ground in the standings. If they’re able to overcome a 4.5 point underdog status, then they might not lose again until the new year. The following four games for the team will all take place in Los Angeles.
Add Sportslens to your Google News Feed!
