Teams usually play best at home in front of their crowd. That's not the case with the Clippers so far this season.
In their four road games, of which they've won three, they have been better in nearly every statistical category than in their seven home games, of which they've won four.
They are averaging 111.5 points on the road, 98.9 at home. They are shooting 51% from the field on the road, 45.2% at home. From beyond the three-point line, they are shooting 43.3% on the road and 33.5% at home. They are making 78.8% of their free throws on the road, while making 73.7% at home. They are averaging 26.5 assists on the road, while averaging 22.1 at home. They are averaging eight steals on the road, while averaging 6.7 at home.
The Clippers are currently on a seven-game, 12-day road trip. So far, they have had lopsided wins over Orlando (114-90) and Miami (110-93). Before this trip, they also beat the Lakers (118-111) in a road game which, of course, was at Staples Center. Their only away loss so far has been against the Warriors, 121-104.
The only category that they're better in at home is rebounding, where they're averaging 38.7 a game as opposed to 35 on the road.
Before their seven-game trip, they blew a 14-point lead to lose to the Chicago Bulls, 105-89, at Staples Center. After that game, Doc Rivers said that the team's upcoming trip could be a good opportunity for his team to do some much-needed bonding and gelling. Could being the operative word.
"Really, I do like going on the road," Rivers said Monday. "I think it is an opportunity to find yourself. You can also lose yourself on the road. So we’ll see.”
So far, the former has definitely been true.