The Clippers who seemed lost for a while are again giving fans the hope to stay alive in the context as the season enters the last leg. Once comfortably holding the 6th seed, the Los Angeles Clippers are now playing catch-up. Since the All-Stars break, several woes have broken through the roster. They have won only four of their last ten and 2 of them came in the last two games, so tonight’s win was a big one. With the playoffs rapidly approaching, every win goes towards building confidence. Currently, the eighth seed, and starving for momentum, the Kawhi Leonard -led-LA side, needs it all.

The Clippers defeated the Jalen Brunson-less New York Knicks tonight. Tyronn Lue’s men controlled the closely contested battle in the second half. A close battle till the last, yes, ten times the leads shifted between the two teams. But without the poise Brunson brings, James Harden led the Clippers with 27 points and 7 assists to vanquish the Knicks.

The Clippers won consecutive games for the first time since February, and Kawhi Leonard implored his teammates to stay true to the process. From here on out, every result could potentially decide their playoff fate. As that time approaches, the Klaw wants his team to “lock in.”

“I mean all these games are important for us. We’re telling the guys in a sense, like this is going to make or break us because we play a lot of competitive teams… If we win these games, it’ll get us, I think it’ll help us in the playoffs, you know. If we don’t, we’ll most likely be out. So it’s just time to lock into each and every game and see what we could do,” said Leonard after the win against the Knicks.

The next five games are going to be crucial for the Clippers. They are currently the eighth seed. So if they do go through the Play-In, that gives the Clippers a second chance to make the postseason in case they lose.

The Kings, just 1.5 games behind the Clippers, could close the gap even further with a win. And bringing in Zach Lavine has helped them as the high-powered offense has transformed the Kings as a team. A loss for the Clippers would put them in danger of slipping to the 9th seed, making their path to the playoffs even tougher. So virtually, this could be a vital result for either side. Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers are hoping it goes in their favor.

A veteran prepares for a greater role

The Clippers have been faced with some injury troubles this season. But some players have fallen through in the rotations themselves. Notably, Nicolas Batum is averaging a career-low in minutes per game. At 36 years old and coming off an intense Olympic schedule, the Clippers have used him wisely.

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But if you ask the French international, he is ready to play as many minutes as possible. Tonight, it was a season-high 34 minutes and his contributions were integral. Batum nailed five treys in his 17-point performance. His efficiency and shot-making played a massive role in the win.

It also did his confidence a world of good.

“I mean that was the talk we had with Ty like during the offseason after the Olympics and during training camp. I mean some games we play 25, some games play 5 minutes,  some games I won’t play… But I knew, like maybe like down on the road like the last 20 games, I might mean more like a game tonight, going they have some injury so I need to be ready to step up. I only missed two games this year because he sent me down, that was no injury,” Batum admitted.

It’s going to be an adaptation process to get the veteran forward in heavy minutes. But also equally necessary. Not only is he a seasoned playoff performer, but Batum has been in the big moments. Before the season, he played in the Olympic gold medal game and was a calm customer in high-pressure moments.

If the Clippers want to avoid the Play-In Tournament, consistency is their biggest battle. Kawhi Leonard and James Harden have the talent to take them deep into the postseason, but it’s the supporting cast, like Nicolas Batum, that will determine how far they truly go. With five crucial games ahead, the Clippers‘ season could be decided in the next two weeks.

If they don’t “lock in” as Kawhi urged, they may find themselves on the outside looking in