Five takeaways from the Clippers’ 105-103 overtime victory over Detroit

The Clippers went from “good to great,” but it had nothing to do with emulating the San Antonio Spurs’ famed ball movement. They completed their trip with a fourth victory in five games Monday night at the Palace of Auburn Hills, beating the Detroit Pistons, 105-103, in overtime. Winning the final game qualified it as a “great” trip, not a “good” one, in the words of Clippers Coach Doc Rivers. Here are five takeaways from the game:

1. The Clippers keep finding their finishing touch. They were down by three points late in their game against Minnesota. They staved off a furious comeback against Brooklyn. They had lost a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter and were down six to Detroit. It didn’t matter. They won all three games. They couldn’t pull out another close game against Chicago without the ejected Blake Griffin but completed an otherwise successful trip. It hasn’t been pretty, or easy, for the Clippers, but the results have been largely what they’ve wanted in winning eight of their last 10 games to move a season-high five games over .500.

2. Griffin deserves to be in the most valuable player conversation. Stan Van Gundy called the power forward “easily the best passing true big in the league” before the game and then Griffin made the Pistons coach look prophetic, making the passes that led to the two most important baskets. He broke double teams to feed J.J. Redick for the three-pointer that sent the game into overtime and found a wide-open Jamal Crawford for the three-pointer that provided the go-ahead basket. Griffin finished with 34 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists, the kind of all-around numbers he has routinely put up during what’s been the best season of his career. “Blake, he’s a great passer,” Rivers said. “I think people look at the power and the speed and the dunks, and they miss the best part of his game and that’s his passing.”

3. The Clippers are winning with an ensemble cast, not just their stars. Redick and Crawford aren’t part of the team’s Big Three, but they were every bit as big Monday. Austin Rivers provided quality defense off the bench late in the game and Luc Mbah a Moute brought the defensive energy early. Wesley Johnson made a three-pointer and played solid defense. The Clippers needed every contribution to pull out the improbable win.

4. Where’s Lance Stephenson? Even though every Clippers reserve was on the wrong side of the plus-minus ledger and the second unit featured pitiful ball movement, Stephenson received his second DNP-Coach’s Decision of the season. Doc Rivers was slightly snippy when asked about it after the game, saying, “We did win the game, right?” They also almost lost it after blowing a 10-point lead to start the fourth quarter. Even though consistency has been an issue for Stephenson, it seems he might be a better point guard with the second unit than Austin Rivers, whose scoring is up from last season but whose assists are down. Rivers is good at attacking the basket but is not nearly as dynamic of a playmaker as Stephenson, who would probably be able to win more of Doc Rivers’ trust if he toned down his home run-or-strikeout approach to passing.

5. The Clippers’ next home game might as well be a road game. Doc Rivers said he lobbied to have the Clippers’ game against the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday at Staples Center moved because it sits in the middle of two trips, making it the equivalent of another road game. His request was denied, he said, because of arena availability. “This is as tough of a home game as we’ve had in a long time,” Rivers said. “I mean, because we’re packing the day of the home game to leave again.” The Bucks will also have the memory of the Clippers’ recent win in Milwaukee on their minds and are coming off having just beaten Golden State to end the Warriors’ 24-0 start to the season. “They’re sky-high now,” Rivers said, “and we’re going to have to find it because that’s going to be a tough one.”

ben.bolch@latimes.com

@latbbolch