Camby hopes schedule does well by his knee

The Clippers are entering a relatively appealing stretch of their NBA schedule that, among other things, should help injured players such as Marcus Camby get healthier.

But it’s an open question whether the Clippers (14-18) as a whole can find better form as well. The team plays only three games in the next nine days and all three are at Staples Center, starting Monday night against Portland.

The Clippers play the Lakers on Wednesday night and then have three days to prepare for the Miami Heat on Jan. 10.

“The schedule is definitely in our favor,” said Camby, the veteran forward who is nursing a hyper-extended left knee even as he remains among the league leaders in rebounds and blocked shots.

Although it’s still irritating, “the knee is getting better,” Camby said after the team’s practice Saturday. He injured it against Houston on Dec. 22 and felt a recurrence of swelling during the Clippers’ loss to Phoenix on Christmas Day.

Camby, 35, then sat out against Boston but played in the Clippers’ loss to Portland last Wednesday and in their 104-88 win over Philadelphia on Thursday.

The knee isn’t fully healed yet, “but it won’t keep me out of Monday’s game” against the Trail Blazers, Camby said. “I’ve been playing on it, it swells up, we ice it down, but over the last couple of days it’s been feeling actually better and better.”

Camby is less certain why the Clippers can’t seem to break out of their seesaw performance. The team is 5-5 in its last 10 games and has lost four of its last six.

“We’ve definitely been inconsistent,” he said. “Some nights we come with the effort, some nights we don’t. We have to sustain that energy in each game.”

Dunleavy’s back

Speaking of injuries, Coach Mike Dunleavy returned to manage the team’s practice after getting an epidural at a Marina del Rey hospital on New Year’s Day to treat the pain in his lower back.

Dunleavy, 55, aggravated a herniated disc after a hard sneeze. He was forced to miss the Clippers-76ers game, which he watched on television.

After walking gingerly on the practice court, Dunleavy said, “I feel OK, but I’m not going to be doing any dancing any time soon.”

james.peltz@latimes.com