Clippers head coach Ty Lue discusses where his team is in the standings.
The Los Angeles Clippers scored a 129-96 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday, their second straight win after besting the Dallas Mavericks in overtime the game before.
Prior to the back-to-back victories, they had lost four straight, putting them on more even ground for the final Play-In spots.
The Clippers are eighth in the Western Conference with a 36-36 record. They lead the Portland Trail Blazers by a half-game.
Eighth place in the West only needs to win one Play-In tournament game to make the playoffs, while ninth place would need to win two games to secure their spot in the postseason.
Ty Lue Addresses The Victory
After the win over the Bucks, Clippers head coach Ty Lue was asked what the victory meant for the team.
"It's a huge win for us. We lost two tough ones to New Orleans. To win that Dallas game and come back home after the road trip, to play well, we understand Portland is on our heels and we're fighting trying to get to seven ourselves. Every win counts, especially this late in the season. Ten games left now, everything counts. That's a huge win," he said.
The Clippers have clawed their way back into the Play-In race after looking dead in the water on December 18 when they dropped to 6-21 following a loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
They've managed to go 30-15 since then, doing a complete 180 after jokes were being made that they were going to be a lottery team and further set the franchise back since their pick is owed to OKC.
Looking Ahead
While the Blazers are a half-game behind the Clippers, the Warriors are two games behind. The Warriors have slipped dramatically since losing Steph Curry to injury on January 30, but they are hopeful he's back before the end of the month and in time to help their playoff positioning.
The Clippers have the 20th toughest schedule remaining in the league, which includes a game against the Warriors and two games against the Blazers.
The Blazers have the 29th toughest schedule remaining, while the Warriors have the 21st, meaning the Clippers have the toughest schedule of the three teams.
They play the Blazers in LA on March 31 and then close the season at Portland, followed by their final game of the year, at home against the Warriors. Those three games could go a long way in determining who will get the eighth seed and who will be ninth and tenth.