NBA weekend lookahead: Clippers struggling; Love’s on fire; Lin’s got target on his back

Games to watch: Clippers at Spurs, Friday; Warriors at Clippers, Sunday

Just about the only thing the Clippers can hang their hats on in recent weeks is that the team with whom they’re jousting for the Pacific Division lead, the Lakers, are struggling, too.

The Clippers wrap up their six-game road swing Friday in San Antonio. With a win, the Clippers would finish the trip with a split, but that doesn’t tell the complete story of what a heartbreaking venture it’s been, particularly the last two losses. On Tuesday in Minnesota, point guard Chris Paul was fouled in the act of taking a 3-pointer with 4.6 seconds to go and the team down by three. He made the first two but missed the third, costing his team a shot at overtime. On Wednesday in New Jersey, the Clippers erased an 18-point deficit to take the lead, 100-98, on two Paul free throws with 8.9 seconds left. But Nets guard Jordan Farmar knocked down a 3-pointer with 0.2 seconds to play, giving the Clips a pair of back-to-back one-point defeats.

The issue of defense has risen to the surface again for the Clippers, especially with Chauncey Billups out and Reggie Evans playing a reduced role following the signing of Kenyon Martin. The Clippers are 3-6 in their past nine and have allowed 100 or more points six times in that stretch.

“We have to grind it back,” Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro said. “It’s frustrating to put ourselves in that position and not be able to execute when we needed to. It’s frustrating.”

Player to watch: Kevin Love, Timberwolves
Check out the numbers on Love over the course of the Timberwolves’ current three-game winning streak: 36.7 points per game, 14.3 rebounds, 53.6 percent shooting from the field and 56.5 percent (yes, that’s right) from the 3-point line.

Love has helped the Timberwolves to an 8-3 mark in their last 11 games, a surge that has put Minnesota into unfamiliar territory—the heart of the playoff mix. The Timberwolves hold the No. 8 seed at this point, and though there are plenty of teams still in that chase, the Timberwolves started the year 4-8 and have improved steadily throughout the year.

Love is still the focal point, and he will try to help the Timberwolves keep things going on Friday against his hometown team, the Lakers, against whom he has averaged just 13.9 points in his career.

Matchup to watch: Jeremy Lin vs. Brandon Jennings, Friday
What the Knicks need now, having endured a disappointing three-game losing streak on the road at the hands of Boston, Dallas and San Antonio—they trailed by at least 15 in all three of those games—is a win to put aside, if only temporarily, the concerns over reintegrating forward Carmelo Anthony into the lineup. That process has not gone well, as New York is 2-5 in the seven games since Anthony returned from his groin problem to a team that had suddenly become Lin-centric.

Jennings, though, still harbors a good bit of resentment toward the Knicks, dating back to the 2009 draft, when the Knicks passed him up in order to draft Jordan Hill. Over the course of his career, Jennings has averaged 20.1 points against the Knicks, his second-highest average against any Eastern Conference team.

Lin has found things to be more difficult now that he has achieved sudden fame—he is more of a target, and that will be the case when he sees Jennings.

On a roll: Memphis Grizzlies
As a No. 8 seed last postseason, the Grizzlies pulled off a stunning upset of the top-seeded Spurs in the first round. This year, should Memphis advance past the first round in the West, there will be no surprise.

The Grizzlies have won five straight to run their record to 23-15, third in the conference and only three games behind the Spurs for the second seed in the West. Memphis is still awaiting the return of power forward Zach Randolph, out since Jan. 1 with a knee injury, and he could be back soon. Coach Lionel Hollins will be challenged with working Randolph back into the starting five, which has thrived without him. In the meantime, though, the Grizzlies have themselves well-positioned for the playoffs.

Getting desperate: Houston Rockets
Just when it looked like the Rockets were bound to be the feel-good story of this season, they have dropped five straight and slip out of playoff seeding. Their defense has come undone, allowing 107.8 points per game over the course of the losing streak, and as trade talk heading into the deadline ramps up, Houston could be a particularly active team.