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Clippers commence arduous trek in Atlanta

Feb 4, 2011 - 4:04 PM (Sports Network) - You can bet the Los Angeles Clippers aren't big fans of The Grammy Awards these days.

The annual music awards show has taken over Staples Center in Los Angeles and displaced both the Lakers and Clippers, with the Clips taking the biggest blow. Los Angeles' other team kicks off a monstrous 11-game road trip tonight in Dixie against the Atlanta Hawks.

The Clippers, who are just 3-15 as the visitor on the season, will also meet Miami, Orlando, New York, Cleveland, Toronto, Milwaukee, Minnesota, Oklahoma City and New Orleans before returning to southern California on Feb. 25 to play the role as road team in their own building against the Lakers.

The Clippers start the trip on a bit of a down note after Chicago snapped their nine-game home winning streak with 106-88 triumph on Wednesday. Blake Griffin filled the stat sheet again for the Clippers in the loss, scoring 32 points and pulling down 13 rebounds. But the rookie All-Star was just 4-of-13 from the foul line and scored only seven of his points after halftime.

"In the first half, Griffin had his way. In the second half, our defense was much better. We didn't make any adjustments, we just did things better," Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau said.

On the injury front for the Clips, leading scorer Eric Gordon is expected to remain on the sidelines until after the All-Star break with a sprained right wrist, while fellow guard Baron Davis is questionable for tonight after tweaking his back against Chicago.

The Hawks, meanwhile, opened a brief two-game homestand on Wednesday by handing Toronto its 13th consecutive loss. All-Star Joe Johnson scored a season-high 37 points and dished out eight assists in that one while Josh Smith notched 18 points and 11 boards in the 100-87 win.

Maurice Evans and Al Horford, another Eastern Conference All-Star, both scored 12 points to help the Hawks bounce back from a 102-91 loss to Dallas on Saturday. Horford also had 14 rebounds and seven assists for Atlanta, which swept the season series with Toronto (3-0) for the first time since the 1998-99 campaign.

"It was fun out there tonight," Johnson said. "We pretty much dictated how the game was going to play."

The Hawks, who are 16-7 on their home floor, expect forward Marvin Williams back in the lineup tonight. Williams was suspended two games for a fight with New York's Shawne Williams last Friday.

Atlanta, which beat the Clippers in LA last month, will be attempting to sweep the home-and-home series between the two clubs for a second straight season.