They Still Haven’t Found a Home Away From Home

A trip is defined as going from one place to another, a journey or excursion. A trip also is a stumble or fall, a blunder.

For the Clippers, definitions have dovetailed.

Their playoff aspirations have been tripped up by their inability to win on the road, their 7-24 record in away games ranking among the NBA’s worst as they open a seven-game trip today against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Clippers (32-37) were at .500 last month after opening an eight-game trip with a 106-103 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies but have not won outside Staples Center since, losing 11 in a row. Officially, they ended a nine-game road losing streak with a March 8 victory over the Lakers, but outside their home arena they are 2-21 since the end of November, 1-17 since Jan. 3.

At home, they’re 25-13.

“Obviously, it’s a young team and [we] feed off the crowd’s energy,” Rick Brunson said Friday after the Clippers ran their winning streak to three games with a 98-94 victory over the Washington Wizards. “Young teams tend to do that. For us to get better next year, we have to learn to win on the road. And I think by us having success at home and seeing how close we are to the playoffs that it will definitely be a better run next year. I definitely see it coming. Hopefully, on this trip we can get three or four games, and then we can definitely see where we’re at.”

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Finishing ahead of the Lakers in the West would be no big deal to the Clippers, Elton Brand said, if it didn’t result in a playoff berth. “If they were still eighth, yeah,” Brand said, “but otherwise it doesn’t matter, you know what I mean?” If the Clippers finish ninth, he added, “It’s still ninth.” ... Marko Jaric, who aggravating his right hip in the second quarter Friday, was back at practice Saturday.

TODAY

at Minnesota, 12:30 p.m. PST

Channel 5

Site -- Target Center, Minneapolis.

Radio -- 1150.

Records -- Clippers 32-37, Timberwolves 36-34.

Record vs. Timberwolves -- 1-2.

Update -- The Timberwolves, who stretched their winning streak to three games Saturday with a 96-75 victory over the New Jersey Nets, handed the Clippers their most lopsided loss of the season, 113-86, on Dec. 17 at Minneapolis. The Timberwolves had won nine in a row over the Clippers before losing, 92-86, last month at Staples Center.