Mavs-Clippers preview: Hottest team in the NBA invades AAC

The Los Angeles Clippers might have been sandbagging everybody during the first month of the season.

Looking disjointed and causing everybody to wonder about the wisdom of trading for James Harden, the Clippers were 8-10 when the calendar turned to December. They looked lost.

Since then? They’ve certainly found something.

They’ve won eight in a row, the longest active streak in the NBA. And their last two wins were by 22 points against New York and by 24 points at Indiana, two Eastern Conference teams that above .500.

The Clippers scored 195 points combined in those two games.

So clearly, they have figured out a few things after the rocky start to the Harden era.

Interestingly (or maybe it was predictable?), the Clippers actually caught fire back in mid-November after a dreadful 3-7 start that was capped by a five-game losing streak. That’s when they decided to start bringing Russell Westbrook off the bench.

That’s also when things began to click.

They’ve gone 13-3 since and Westbrook has adapted well to the sixth-man role. So well, in fact, that if he continues in that situation and the Clippers keep winning, he will quickly become a candidate for Sixth Man of the Year, an award that Tim Hardaway Jr. and  Sacramento’s Malik Monk already have proven they are capable of taking home.

Since going to the bench, Westbrook has averaged 9.4 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.1 assists in 20 minutes per game, which has been quite efficient.

The bottom line is that the Clippers are playing well as they head into Wednesday’s game at American Airlines Center against the Mavericks. And they no doubt will remember the 18-point beat-down that the Mavericks put on them in their first trip to Dallas in early November, which was part of the Clippers’ five-game losing streak.

Then again, the Mavericks have reason to remember the 19-point loss they absorbed in LA three weeks ago.

• The Clippers have gotten great production from Harden during the winning streak. He’s averaging 20.1 points, 9.8 assists and 5 rebounds in that stretch.
• Against the Pacers on Monday, the Clips scored 37 points or more in all four quarters and shot 50 percent (19-of-38) from three-point range. Harden, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George all had at least 27 points, topped by Harden’s 35. Those three hit 15-of-27 three-pointers. George, by the way, is listed as questionable for the game with an illness.
• Guard Bones Hyland (knee) did not play against the Pacers and is questionable. Center Mason Plumlee (knee) is out.
• The Mavericks’ injury situations remains problematic. They have listed Kyrie Irving (right heel), Josh Green (right elbow), Maxi Kleber (right small toe) and Dereck Lively II (left ankle) as out.
• After this game, the Mavericks will play five of their next seven on the road spanning the Christmas and New Year’s holidays, starting Friday in Houston. They have the second night of a back-to-back on Saturday against San Antonio before going to Phoenix for a Christmas night game.
• Luka Dončić is simply on a massive tear. He’s scored 30 or more in 11 straight games, averaging 35.8 points, 10.4 assists and 8.9 rebounds in that span. He’s also shooting 84 percent from the free-throw line, which is important because he’s not only shooting 11 free throws per game during the 11 games, but his career free-throw percentage is 74.2 percent.

LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS (6-10) at MAVERICKS (16-10)

When/where: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, American Airlines Center, Dallas.

TV: Bally’s Sports Southwest.

Radio: 97.1 FM The Freak; 99.1 FM Zona MX (Spanish).

X: @ESefko