Lue shares what has sparked the team's recent turnaround as they prepare to host the Sacramento Kings.
The Los Angeles Clippers have been one of the more disappointing teams in the Western Conference this season, but things are starting to look up in Inglewood.
Heading into Tuesday night's matchup against the Sacramento Kings, the Clippers are riding a season-high four-game winning streak and looking like a completely different team.
Before the game against the Kings, head coach Ty Lue pointed to a simple but important change that has helped spark the turnaround.
"It's just a different dynamic having a shooting five (center) on the floor," Lue said. "He's definitely opened up the floor a lot for us offensively."
Lopez Makes His Mark as a Starter
The shooting five Lue is talking about is veteran center Brook Lopez, who has stepped into the starting lineup after Ivica Zubac went down with a sprained left ankle on December 20.
The 37-year-old has made the most of his opportunity and has given the Clippers exactly what they needed with his floor-spacing ability.
Lopez had a career night on December 26 against the Portland Trail Blazers when he knocked down a career-high nine three-pointers and finished with 31 points in a 119-103 win.
Over the course of the four-game winning streak, Lopez has shot 14-for-28 from beyond the arc while averaging 13.5 points per game and blocking seven shots.
The Clippers currently sit at 10-21 on the season and will face a Kings team that has struggled even more with an 8-24 record heading into Tuesday's contest.
Harden and Leonard Carrying the Load
While Lopez has provided the spacing, the star duo of James Harden and Kawhi Leonard have done the heavy lifting on offense during this winning streak.
Harden has been excellent over the past four games, averaging 28 points along with 7.3 assists and 1.0 steals per contest while putting up 26.3 points per game on the season.
Leonard has been even more impressive and was just named Western Conference Player of the Week after a dominant stretch.
In the win over the Detroit Pistons on Sunday, Leonard exploded for a career-high 55 points while adding 11 rebounds, five steals, and three blocks.
That effort tied the Clippers' single-game scoring record that Harden set earlier in November, and Leonard is now averaging 27.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game this season.
Looking Ahead to the Kings
The Clippers will try to extend their winning streak to five games on Tuesday when they host the Sacramento Kings at the Intuit Dome. Sacramento comes into the matchup having lost four straight road games.
With Lopez continuing to stretch the floor, Harden running the show, and Leonard playing at an elite level on both ends, Los Angeles has a great chance to keep the good times rolling.