Clippers dig deep to stay perfect

This place, this date, these teams all made for an unforeseen conglomerate of unbeatens.

The New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts, two undefeated NFL teams that met here at the RCA Dome on Sunday, was much easier to call.

When the Clippers and Pacers met Wednesday, they were only two of five NBA teams without a loss.

The Clippers stayed that way, gutting out a 104-89 victory at Conseco Fieldhouse.

They are now 4-0 to start a season for only the third time in franchise history with consecutive wins in this three-game road swing.

They can now focus on returning to Los Angeles still undefeated. The Clippers play at Detroit on Friday. The Pistons head into today’s game at Chicago with no losses.

“You can’t win three of them unless you win two of them,” Coach Mike Dunleavy said. “We put ourselves in that position and hopefully we’ll give it a pretty good shot.”

Sam Cassell scored 35 points as the Clippers took advantage of his post-up ability against the Pacers’ guards. He shot 13 of 20 and had eight assists.

“That right wrist,” Dunleavy replied when asked how Cassell is so effective as he nears 38 years old.

“I’m just out there playing the game of basketball,” Cassell said. “If they need me to pass the ball, I’ll pass it. If they need me to shoot it, I can do that too.”

Center Chris Kaman continued his rebounding onslaught.

He took 22, one shy of his career high, and also scored 15 points. Through four games, he is averaging 16.5 rebounds.

“I knew it,” Kaman said of approaching the high. “I was trying to dig them out, but they kept bouncing the other way at the end.”

Dunleavy says his team is deep, and he needed every ounce of that depth against the Pacers.

The Clippers’ bench dwindled as the game wore on.

A day after scoring 33 points against the Chicago Bulls, Cuttino Mobley left the game at 6:41 of the first quarter because of a strained right groin. He watched the second half in a suit at the end of the bench.

Ruben Patterson followed him to the locker room the next quarter after aggravating his dislocated right pinkie, an injury sustained during the exhibition season.

When he returned to the bench, he gingerly gave Mobley a high-five with the hand, and the two sat together.

Point guard Brevin Knight did not play because of a sore lower back and Corey Maggette aggravated a bruised tailbone on a drive to the rim but continued to play.

“Corey has a tailbone bruise I have to be concerned about,” trainer Jasen Powell said. “With Cuttino, it will probably be a couple games or a week. Brevin and Ruben are probably day to day.”

The Pacers went on an 18-2 run to end the first quarter and start the second and held a 58-55 halftime lead.

Cassell scored 18 points in the first half on seven-for-18 shooting.

Jermaine O’Neal scored 13 points in the half for the Pacers and finished with 16 points.

Few figured the Clippers would be unbeaten after four games without Elton Brand and Shaun Livingston.

Same for the Pacers, whose franchise player, O’Neal, was dogged with trade rumors throughout the summer. Indiana finished 35-47 last season and missed the playoffs for the first time since 1997.

But the Clippers were the team who left the arena still perfect.

It came to be by battling through the injuries and with the aid of Cassell, who scored another 11 points in the third quarter as the Clippers outscored the Pacers, 32-14.

“He’s older than dirt, but he gets it done,” Kaman said.

jonathan.abrams@latimes.com

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Out of the box

Best starts in L.A. Clippers history:

*--* Season Start Finish 1985-86 4-0 32-50 2007-08 4-0 1991-92 3-1 45-37 2005-06 3-1 47-35 2006-07 3-1 40-42 *--*