The Los Angeles Clippers begin their Grammy road trip Saturday night in the nation's capital against the lowly Washington Wizards at the Verizon Center. The six-game, 10-day trek presents a nice mix of eminently winnable games (Washington, Cleveland, Charlotte) and tough road tests (Orlando, Philadelphia, Dallas), with only one back-to-back set, and that second night is against the Bobcats, the worst team in the NBA.
The Wizards aren't too far ahead of the Bobcats at 4-19, and are 29th among 30 NBA teams in point differential this season. Washington is 3-9 at home, but included among those home wins is a 105-102 over the Oklahoma City Thunder on January 18, so anything can happen.
Chris Paul has averaged 23.6 points and 9.6 assists per game over his last five games, and has been on fire from long range. During those five games, Paul has made 12 of 22 three-point attempts (54.5%) and is shooting 46.8% from distance on the season. At 52.9% from the field, Paul is one of just four guards to make at least half his field goal attempts this season, along with Steve Nash, Ray Allen, and Mario Chalmers.
The Clippers have beaten the Wizards five straight times, including their last two trips to Washington. The Clippers got a schedule break this year as the Wizards are one of three Eastern Conference teams (joining the Atlanta Hawks and New Jersey Nets) in this lockout-shortened season.
Saturday's 4 p.m. PST game will be televised by Prime Ticket. For more news and analysis of Clippers basketball, be sure to read Clips Nation.