The resurgent Los Angeles Clippers take a shot at a fifth consecutive lopsided win when they host the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night.
The Clippers, who won just six games in the first nine weeks of the season, have rolled off four victories in the past 10 days, all by at least 13 points.
The closest of the bunch came Sunday against the Eastern Conference-leading Detroit Pistons, a 112-99 triumph that tipped off a five-game homestand.
Several Clippers have excelled in the run, especially Kawhi Leonard, who had a career-high 55 points in the win over the Pistons, and James Harden, who has averaged 28.0 points over the stretch.
John Collins chipped in with a double-double against the Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Sanders buried three straight 3-pointers off the bench against Houston and Nicolas Batum responded to a start with 12 points against Detroit.
But, according to Harden, it’s been the play of Brook Lopez that’s taken the Clippers to a new level.
“Honestly, credit to Brook,” Harden boasted to reporters after Sunday’s game. “What he brings to the table defensively. His communication, his contesting shots at the rim, shot-making ability, spacing. A combination of those things has helped us overall as a team offensively.”
Lopez, who was promoted to a starting spot the last three games following a sprained left ankle suffered by Ivica Zubac against the Lakers on Dec. 20, has blocked a total of seven shots during the winning streak while also shooting 14-for-28 on 3-pointers and averaging 13.5 points.
Zubac remains out indefinitely.
Against the Kings, the 37-year-old Lopez will run into a pair of rookie Sacramento big men who weren’t born when the Southern California native started high school.
Maxime Raynaud and Dylan Cardwell have effectively manned the middle for the Kings in recent games. They combined for 23 points and 17 rebounds in Sacramento’s 125-101 loss to the Lakers on Sunday in the opener of the Kings’ two-game L.A. layover.
Raynaud has averaged 15.5 points and 8.4 rebounds over the last 13 games as he’s settled into injured Domantas Sabonis’ starting spot.
The L.A. visit also serves as homecoming for Russell Westbrook, who saved a memorable moment for his old fans against his former team Sunday.
Applauded before the game in part for having one day earlier passed Lakers great Magic Johnson among the NBA all-time assist leaders, Westbrook moved up a spot among the scoring leaders as well on Sunday, passing Dominique Wilkins for 16th place with his 26,669th point.
Oscar Robertson is now just 38 ahead.
Back-to-back scheduled games in Los Angeles got Westbrook reminiscing to the media.
“I grew up wanting to play football,” said the native of Long Beach, about 20 miles south of L.A. “I grew up playing football, taking a bus, going to the park, just being a normal kid in the city. And things happened so fast to me. I always knew if given the opportunity to be able to be somebody, I would take full advantage of it.
“The records are all great, but I hope it inspires other people, people across the world, to do great things in their lives as well.”
