Los Angeles @ Indiana preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 19, 2019 ) Indiana 109, L.A. Clippers 115

The Indiana Pacers look to continue their ascent in the Eastern Conference with five of the next six games at home, starting with a visit from the road-weary Los Angeles Clippers on Monday night. The Pacers rebounded from only their second loss in nine games by surviving a challenge from the reeling New York Knicks on the road Saturday, before earning a 104-103 victory.

“They came out fired up. ...We knew they would come out with a lot of energy with the situation going on,” Indiana forward T.J. Warren told reporters of the Knicks, who fired coach David Fizdale on Friday. “I felt like we sustained ourselves throughout the game and made a couple of runs.” The Pacers have won five of the last six meetings in the series against the Clippers, who recovered from a 28-point loss at Milwaukee on Friday to open their six-game trip by shooting 52.1 percent from the field en route to a 135-119 win at Washington on Sunday night. Kawhi Leonard registered his first double-double in nine games with 34 points and 11 rebounds while former Pacer Paul George scored 27 for Los Angeles, which owns the second-most wins in the Western Conference (17) behind their city-rival Lakers. The Clippers will play their fifth contest in nine days to start December and coach Doc Rivers told The Athletic after Sunday’s game that George or Leonard could be rested Monday with another three-game, four-day stretch starting at Toronto on Wednesday.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, FS Prime Ticket (Los Angeles), FS Indiana

ABOUT THE CLIPPERS (17-7): Leonard connected on 12-of-18 from the field Sunday after going 8-of-29 in the previous two games while George drained 11-of-21 against the Wizards and is shooting 51.5 in four outings this month. Forward Montrezl Harrell is averaging 20 points in December and has made at least half his shots from the floor in seven of the last nine games, combining to shoot 61.3 percent during that stretch. Lou Williams poured in 18 points off the bench Sunday, but is 16-for-44 from the field the past three games, and Maurice Harkless reached double figures (11) for the first time since Oct. 24.

ABOUT THE PACERS (15-8): Warren has been the go-to player over the last few weeks, averaging 22.9 points in the past eight games to push his season mark to 18.7 while shooting 40.5 percent from 3-point range overall. “When I get to my spots I can be aggressive and productive, kind of make plays just scoring the ball and being myself,” Warren told reporters after scoring 25 on Saturday. “My teammates did a great job of finding me early and getting me going.” Leading scorer Malcolm Brogdon (19 points, team-best 7.7 assists) missed the last game with a hand injury and his status for Monday’s contest is uncertain.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Los Angeles F Patrick Patterson was limited to seven minutes Friday and missed the game at Washington because of back spasms.

2. Indiana C Domantas Sabonis (18.4 points, 13.1 rebounds) posted double-doubles in each of the last eight games and 16 of the last 17.

3. Clippers G Derrick Walton Jr. had a season-best seven points in a season-high 12 minutes Sunday in Washington.

PREDICTION: Pacers 118, Clippers 114