The Clippers (36-17) still are trying to get reacclimated to one another. All-star point guard Chris Paul returned to action Friday in a 111-89 loss at Miami after missing 12 of the previous 14 games with a bruised right kneecap.
Paul doesn't appear to be 100 percent, but it was difficult to tell by his performance Sunday. He had 25 points and seven assists against the Knicks after struggling with three points, two assists, and three turnovers against Miami.
"I feel good," Paul said. "Always feel good after a win."
Will he feel good enough to face the Sixers, playing back-to-back games?
"It all depends how I feel tomorrow," Paul said.
The same is the case with fellow guard and Sixers-killer Chauncey Billups, who returned to the lineup Friday after missing 34 games with tendinitis in his left foot.
Billups' career 46.2 three-point percentage against the Sixers and the Washington Wizards is his best against any team.
As with Paul, Billups' availability for the Sixers game will be determined by how he feels Monday, coach Vinny Del Negro said. Both players provide veteran leadership, especially in late-game situations.
"Having me and Chauncey out there [late in the game], it's pretty much a wrap," Paul said.
The Clippers don't lack offensive firepower. All-star forward Blake Griffin is among the most crowd-pleasing dunkers in the NBA. He is averaging 18.4 points and 8.6 rebounds, and probably benefits the most from having Billups and Paul back.
"It gives us confidence as a team that the ball is taken care of and it will go to the right spots," Griffin said.
Jamal Crawford is a leading candidate for NBA sixth man of the year. He lit up the Knicks for 27 points.
The Clippers received a major defensive boost from 40-year-old Grant Hill. In the first three quarters, New York's Carmelo Anthony had 38 points. With Hill guarding him in the fourth quarter, Anthony was held to four points. Hill is another player trying to round into form. He has been sidelined for 38 games this season with an injured right knee.
Caron Butler left the game in the third quarter with a sore lower back, so the Clippers aren't out of the woods. But this is a deep team, with one of the league's top backup point guards in Eric Bledsoe, and high-flying center DeAndre Jordan - the only Clipper to start all 53 games.
This team's better days may lie ahead if the players can maintain their health.
"Everybody is still getting their rhythm together," said Crawford, who said he has been battling a sore shoulder. "I think this is a glimpse of what will happen."
Clippers reserve Grant Hill has high praise for 76ers coach Doug Collins. Story and video on philly.com.
Contact Marc Narducci at mnarducci@phillynews.com. Follow @sjnard on Twitter.
