March 18--The Clippers are on the road against the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday in the second leg of a back-to-back after beating the Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday, 99-92.
The Clippers blew a 22-point third-quarter lead against the Hornets, who cut the deficit to a single point five times before the Clippers held on for the win. It was Blake Griffin's second game back after missing 15 games because of a staph infection in his right elbow that required surgery. Griffin finished with 19 points on eight-for-12 shooting, 11 rebounds, four assists and two turnovers on Tuesday.
It was a much-improved performance from his first game back Sunday against the Houston Rockets, in which Griffin had 11 points on four-for-10 shooting, 11 rebounds, eight assists and five turnovers.
The Clippers will be missing two key players against the Kings. Jamal Crawford (right calf contusion) and Matt Barnes (right hamstring soreness) are out. The Clippers only have 14 players on their roster, and Clippers Coach Doc Rivers said Tuesday that the team could consider signing another forward to a 10-day contract. The Clippers signed guard Nate Robinson to a second 10-day contract Monday.
The Clippers have won 15 of their last 18 games against the Kings, including two of their three meetings this season.
The Kings could be missing their top scorers on Wednesday, Rudy Gay (left patellar tendon strain) and DeMarcus Cousins (strained right calf). Darren Collison (core muscle injury) and Eric Moreland (left shoulder labral tear) are out.
The Clippers (43-25) are in fifth place in the Western Conference, 20 games ahead of the 13th-place Kings (22-44).
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