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Nets-Clippers Preview

Jan 17, 2010 - 10:12 PM By MIKE LIPKA STATS Writer

New Jersey (3-36) at Los Angeles (17-22), 3:30 p.m. EDT

The depleted Los Angeles Clippers have lost a season high-tying four in row. There are few better opportunities to end such a slide than a home matchup with the New Jersey Nets.

The woeful Nets have dropped seven straight overall and on the road as they begin a four-game Western Conference trip against the Clippers on Monday.

Even with No. 1 overall draft pick Blake Griffin out all season with a knee injury, the Clippers have shown major improvement by hovering around .500. After winning 19 games last season, Los Angeles (17-22) seems likely to surpass that total by the end of this month.

The Clippers, though, have lost four straight for the first time since an 0-4 start, a skid that has coincided with the first four games leading scorer Chris Kaman (sore back) missed this season.

Forward Al Thornton (sprained left ankle) also sat out a 102-101 home loss to Cleveland on Saturday, perhaps the toughest defeat to swallow during the streak.

Looking to bounce back from a 40-point loss to the Lakers, the Clippers shot a season-best 59.7 percent from the field and held a four-point lead in the final four minutes, but missed out on several late attempts to re-take the lead.

Los Angeles was also hurt by allowing the Cavs to grab six offensive rebounds in the final seven minutes.

"The only thing we have to be disappointed in is our rebounding," guard Eric Gordon said. "When you look at the points, everyone was on. It was just our lack of rebounds that hurt us, especially at the end of the game."

Gordon had a season-high 28 points to supplement Rasual Butler's 33, which matched a career high. The two players combined to shoot 8 of 14 from 3-point range.

The Clippers should find more opportunities to score against New Jersey, which is on pace for the worst record in NBA history.

The Nets (3-36) have been especially bad defensively in recent games, allowing more than 70 points in the first half of lopsided home losses to Boston and Indiana last week. The last time a team allowed at least 70 points in the first half of three consecutive games was Nov. 2, 1990-Nov. 7, 1990, when Denver did it in four straight.

New Jersey's 121-105 defeat to the Pacers on Friday was its seventh straight. It has losing streaks of 10 and 18 games this season.

The Nets have dropped 17 of 18 overall since earning their lone win in 20 road contests, 103-101 over Chicago on Dec. 8. The team's path won't get any easier on this trip, which includes games against Phoenix, Golden State and Utah.

Interim coach Kiki Vandeweghe said his club is still working hard.

"For that I'm pretty proud of the guys," Vandeweghe told the NBA's official Web site. "They've held together. It's obviously tough. ... You try and build on good habits you know are right, and you try and limit bad ones. This team has been pretty good about it."

The Nets have lost five straight on the road to the Clippers since a 102-96 win at Staples Center on Nov. 27, 2003. They have dropped 15 straight away games to West teams dating to last season.