Clippers go for 7th straight win Wed. night

Damian Lillard is healthy now, though he wasn't the last time he faced the Los Angeles Clippers because of an omelet he ate at the team hotel.

His Portland Trail Blazers ended up with egg on their faces in a loss that night and will try to snap the visiting Clippers' season-high six-game win streak Wednesday night.

Lillard returned from a seven-game absence because of plantar fasciitis in his left foot in Monday's 91-78 loss to Memphis. He missed his first five shots and finished with a team-high 17 points on 4-of-14 shooting.

"I was just happy to be out there," Lillard said. "I didn't put too much pressure on myself, it being the first game. I just wanted to come out and make sure that I was responsible and did what I needed to do defensively, get to the spots I needed to be on and make the right plays."

The superstar succumbed to a different ailment the last time these teams met when Portland (15-22) fell 102-87 at Los Angeles on Nov. 30. He left the game because of abdominal pain with 10:13 remaining in the third quarter and did not return, later claiming he was "pretty sure" it was because of something he ate at the hotel where he consumed an omelet.

Los Angeles took advantage of his absence by outscoring Portland 53-38 in the second half.

Fortunately for the Trail Blazers, this contest is at home - where they beat the Clippers 102-91 on Nov. 20 behind Lillard's 27 points. It seems like it's also good news that they won't have to face Blake Griffin for the first time.

Los Angeles (22-13), however, has won all five games since losing Griffin to a partially torn left quadriceps tendon as part of this streak. The Clippers are shooting 50.1 percent in the last five games, connecting at a season-best 60.5 in Saturday's 130-99 rout of Philadelphia.

"I think everybody realizes that there's less room for error," point guard Chris Paul said. "We realize that we really have to play together, we gotta share the ball and I think that's what's been happening."

J.J. Redick is shooting 57.6 percent while making 19 of 29 3-pointers and averaging 20.0 points in the last five games. Paul is averaging 17.0 points on 35.1 percent shooting in that stretch, but he's averaging 11.0 assists.

DeAndre Jordan has double-doubles in the last five games, averaging 15.0 points and 14.4 boards. He leads the NBA in field-goal percentage at 72.7 percent.

The beneficiary of Griffin's absence is Cole Aldrich, who only played in five of the Clippers' first 27 games. His minutes are up now and he had eight points and a season-high nine rebounds Saturday.

"For a while, Cole wasn't playing and he's just a consummate professional, comes in and works hard every day and that's what you need," Paul said. "And then when his number is called, he's been ready."

The Clippers figure to see a more confident C.J. McCollum than the player who averaged 15.0 points on 34.4 percent shooting against them in November. McCollum was held to 16 points on 6 of 18 shooting Monday after averaging 30.3 on 54.4 percent from the field in his previous four games.