A 17-point loss in Houston on Saturday left Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro fuming at his team.
Tonight when the they face Central Division leader Indiana at Staples Center (Prime Ticket), the Clippers will have to show Del Negro and themselves they have the will to close out the season with the urgency required to take into the postseason.
“One thing we’ve got to get better at is the consistency factor, what to expect and what it takes to win and understand the urgency it takes at this time of the season with everybody desperate in survival mode for as high a seed as possible,” Del Negro said before tip-off.
The Clippers (49-25), perhaps destined for another first-round playoff series with Memphis, will again be without guard Chauncey Billups, who is now dealing with a strained groin. Forward Matt Barnes (sprained ankle) will try to give it a go after being injured in Houston.
Willie Green is back in the starting lineup at guard.

He’s made it. Guard Maalik Wayns, called up from the D-League, has been signed for the rest of the season.
Wayns has played in three games and averaged 3.7 points and 2.3 assists. The bulk of those numbers came last week in a win over Philadelphia, when he played 17 minutes and had nine points, two assists and a steal.

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He’s played in only two games and logged seven total minutes, but forward DaJuan Summers has been signed to a second 10-day contract.

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He scored 23 of his 29 points in the second half, 17 in the 4th quarter and 7 pts in last 22 seconds in the Clippers win over the Nets.

The Clippers came up with the big plays down the stretch in notching a big – aren’t they all now? – 101-95 win over Brooklyn. With 48 seconds left, Jamal Crawford stole a lazy pass from Deron Williams and slam dunked it on the other end for a four-point lead. Chris Paul had 17 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter, but Crawfrod’s play was the biggest of the game. Lob City’s play of the game came on the defensive end. Strange but true.

Clippers guard Willie Green is the only starter in double figures for the Clippers for the first half. He has made 5 of 7 shots for 12 points. Blake Griffin has taken just five shots and scored 5 points. Chris Paul is 2-for-6 for 6 points. Deron Williams has scored 11 points for the Nets.

Eric Bledsoe is back. The guard has been nursing a calf injury. The Clippers are trying to beef up their defensive performance over the last 13 games – starting with tonight’s game against the Brooklyn Nets – and if Bledsoe is healthy, he should help in that effort.

Reserve guard Willie Green has started 50 games for the Clippers this season but has seemed like the forgotten man when Chauncey Billups returned for good from his Achilles’ tendon rehab.
But Green has never forgotten how to stay prepared, and back in the starting lineup Wednesday, he scored 13 points on 5-for-9 shooting in 22 minutes. It was his first start in more than a month.
“It’s tough when you’ve been out of the lineup a while,” Green said. “I came here because of the bigger picture. I still believe in this team.”
The belief is mutual.
“That’s him. I expect nothing less from Willie,” Chris Paul said. “I didn’t know Willie was starting until we walked out before the game and did our walk-through, but it’s not like I looked at Willie and said ‘Man, I hope Willie is ready.’ Willie’s always ready regardless of the situation. He’s not going to pout, he’s not going to badmouth, he’s not going to say ‘Why didn’t you play me last night?’ Willie’s always ready to go.”

Maalik Wayns got in a game for the third time this season and made it count. The point guard, on his second 10-day contract, had nine points, two assists, a steal, hit a 3-pointer and was 3-for-6 from the field in his 17 minutes. He had played a total of 11 minutes in his previous two games combined.
His greatest contribution might have been kicking the Clippers into a higher gear when he started the second quarter with the reserves.
“That fits me. It’s the perfect situation and the perfect system for me,” Wayns said. “That’s the way I play, that’s what I thrive in and I’m able to do it with those guys.
“I feel I can play in the league, that I can play on any given night on any given team. I’m just proving myself to make my way in the league and hopefully stick.”

The Clippers have a two-day respite before taking on Brooklyn Saturday at Staples Center. They’re hoping that’s enough time to get Chauncey Billups (hamstring) and Eric Bledsoe (calf) back on the court.
Jamal Crawford likes the rest, too, after struggling on a twisted ankle. More importantly, Crawford said, the Clippers’ win over Philadelphia a night after losing in Sacramento was a good part of the healing process as well.
“When you have a few days in between when you play again, it gives you time to think so when you lose like we did (Tuesday) night, we could have three days in between and that’s the worst,” Crawford said. “So for us getting back out here tonight, we can have a satisfying week the rest of the week.”