They returned home from a three-game trip in a mini slump that left the Clippers seeking ways to break free of that malaise in which they lost all of those games.
They had left their home in Inglewood on a four-game winning streak, the Clippers feeling good with how they were playing.
But they lost their mojo and wanted to get it back.
They did Sunday night, the Clippers defeating the Utah Jazz 116-105 at Intuit Dome, and in the process they saw James Harden reach a career milestone.
With six minutes and nine seconds left in the first quarter, Harden drilled a three-pointer to break a tie with Ray Allen for the second-most in NBA history. Harden now has made 2,975 three-pointers over his 16-year career. He’s behind the leader, Golden State’s Stephen Curry (3,782), who will be in town Monday night with the Warriors to face the Clippers.
Harden finished with 20 points, going two-for-eight from three-point range, to go along with 11 assists.
The Clippers also got a lift from the return of center Mo Bamba, who had missed the first 13 games recovering from a left knee injury. Bamba was solid in his return, scoring nine points and grabbing eight rebounds in 15 minutes.
Ivica Zubac had a double-double with 22 points and 11 rebounds and Norman Powell had 19 points.
Clippers coach Tyronn Lue had mostly wanted his team to stay the course while in their funk, but he also wanted his group to clean up some things.
Lue wanted a better effort on the backboards, which the Clippers did by collecting 41 rebounds to match Utah’s total.
Lue wanted his team to take care of the basketball, which they did by turning the ball over just nine times.
It all led to the Clippers opening a 23-point lead and coasting in from there over a Jazz team with the worst record (3-10) in the Western Conference.
The Clippers did see their lead sliced to seven points with 3:18 left in the fourth quarter after Jordan Clarkson made a three-pointer, but they held on for the win.