(SportsNetwork.com) - The Los Angeles Clippers will embark on their first of two seven-game road trips when they invade Atlanta Wednesday to take on the Hawks at Philips Arena.
The Clippers will also visit Memphis, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Boston, Brooklyn and Washington on this 13-day journey and will also have a lengthy trek from Jan. 17-27. The Clippers are 4-4 on the road this season.
Los Angeles had won four in a row and nine of 11 games until dropping a 105-100 decision versus the Indiana Pacers on Sunday. Jamal Crawford led six players in double-figures with 20 points off the bench and Chris Paul finished with 17 points and 10 assists. Blake Griffin had 16 points and 10 boards.
"Indiana attacked early and we didn't attack," said Los Angeles head coach Doc Rivers. "They (Indiana) came in here with a purpose, they were locked in and we were not. We had plenty of opportunities to win the game."
DeAndre Jordan chipped in 11 points and 12 rebounds in defeat. Crawford led the NBA in games with 20-plus points off the bench last season with 29.
Clippers first-year head coach Doc Rivers is one win shy of 600 in his career and can become the 23rd coach all-time to win that many games. He would also join Gregg Popovich and Rick Adelman as the only active head coaches with at least 600 victories.
Atlanta will start a four-game homestand Wednesday versus the Clippers, Cavaliers, Thunder and Wizards. The Hawks, who are 5-3 as the host, hope some home cooking will cure what ails them and have dropped two in a row and five of six games.
In Monday's heartbreaking 102-100 loss at San Antonio, Spurs future Hall of Famer Tim Duncan knocked down the game-winning shot with four-tenths of a second remaining in regulation. Duncan hit the shot after Hawks guard Jeff Teague tied the game on a 3-pointer with 4.7 seconds to go.
"If we play that long and that hard in games, we're going to be OK. San Antonio tests you in a lot of different ways. They test you on both ends of the court. It's good for our guys to compete the way they competed," Atlanta head coach and former Spurs assistant Mike Budenholzer said.
Paul Millsap tallied 15 points and 14 rebounds, Teague added 19 points and seven assists and Al Horford finished with 18 points and seven boards for the Hawks, who have lost 16 in a row in the Alamo City haven't defeated the Spurs in San Antonio since Feb. 15, 1997.
Hawks sharpshooter Kyle Korver missed another game with sore ribs and is questionable versus the Clippers. Korver is just one shy of matching Dana Barros' NBA record for most consecutive games with a made 3-pointer at 89 games.
Meanwhile, Horford has scored in double-figures in all 19 games this season, the second-longest streak to open a season in his career (20 in 2012-13). Millsap needs five points for 7,000 and six assists for 1,000.
Atlanta and the Clippers split two encounters last season with each team winning on its own floor. The Hawks have won six of the past eight matchups with Los Angeles, losers in four straight at Philips Arena.
L.A. will host the Hawks on March 8 at Staples Center.
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