Chris Paul says Clippers have played well in spurts

Chris Paul, looking refreshed and casual from a day of rest, seemed genuinely unaware when told before the Clippers practiced Monday that they were 7-2 in their last nine games.

“Are we?” the point guard asked. “We lost the Sacramento game and the Mavs game. Winnable game.”

And those were two disturbing losses. But even some of the wins didn’t exactly inspire confidence that the Clippers have turned a corner of any sort.

So Paul was asked if it was fair for the media to be so critical of the Clippers’ play during this stretch.

“You know I’m a thinker, so who’s to call it fair or whatnot?” Paul said. “I didn’t know we were 7-2. No disrespect, I honestly didn’t care either.

“It’s the thing I always say. It’s how we’re playing. So I think that’s the thing that you guys pay attention to too. It’s not necessarily the wins and losses. It’s how we’re playing and if we’re playing the right way.”

OK, then, have the Clippers been playing the right way, the way Paul and the rest of his crew want to see?

“In spurts. In spurts,” Paul said. “I think we’ve shown signs of our defense being great. And then there’s time where we don’t. And then we’ve also had signs of taking our foot off the gas, which has sort of been an Achilles’ heel of ours. So, I think we just have to play better and do it more consistently.”

Rarely does it go by without mentioning the Clippers started the season 14-2.

Their defense was on point. Their offense was efficient.

The Clippers have been unable to duplicate that period.

“It’s pretty obvious we’ve been better throughout the season. At the start of the season we were better,” forward Blake Griffin said. “But I also wouldn’t say that we’re like in a terrible place: ‘The sky is falling.’ It’s a work in progress, but we have been better. But we still need to clean some things up.”

The Clippers had two days to help in that regard.

They got to practice and have film sessions Monday and Tuesday before they host the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night at Staples Center.

The three days without any games figured to put the Clippers in a better state physically and mentally after going through a month in which they played 18 games in 30 days, twice having to travel to the Midwest for games.

“It’s always supposed to help,” Paul said. “But we’ll be able to tell, I guess, when the game comes. The rest is key. But I always say it’s key to miss the gym a little bit, at least for a day. [Sunday] we were off, get some time to rest and then get back in here and get after it.”

Etc.

Clippers rookie forward Brice Johnson was recalled Monday from his second stint this season in the NBA Development League with the Salt Lake City Stars. Johnson averaged 15.3 points and 6.7 rebounds in 24.3 minutes over the three games he played.

broderick.turner@latimes.com

Twitter: @BA_Turner