When Paul Pierce joined the Washington Wizards in the offseason, he began looking for ways the team could improve that would help them climb the Eastern Conference ladder, and one glaring spot emerged with plenty of  room for growth: their performance on their home floor.

The Wizards were just three games above .500 (22-19) at home last season, prompting Paul to proclaim before the season that they’d look to “beat up” any team that comes to the Verizon Center. Just 14 home games into the 2014-15 season, it’s clear that the Wiz have taken The Truth’s statement to heart.

Los Angeles Clippers v Washington Wizards

After topping two visiting Western Conference foes in the Los Angeles Clippers and the Utah Jazz over the weekend, the Wiz secured a 12-2 start at home—the best in franchise history. Paul was happy to see the way D.C. has dominated at home to claim the No. 2 spot in the East, and remains eager to see how his squad will continue to grow going forward.

“We’re doing a good job protecting our home court. Tonight was a great test for us against a very quality opponent who’s been on a nice win streak. We’re growing up and getting better each and every week. Still a work in progress, but I like where we’re headed,” The Truth said after Friday’s win over L.A. “It’s more than just about best starts, it’s about where we want to be at the end. We can continue to grow, continue to get better, and see where we’re at later in the year.”

STREAK SNAPPERS

The Clippers were one of the NBA’s hottest teams, winners of their last nine games, when they headed to the Verizon Center. However, the Wiz came out ready to give the Clips a dose of East Coast basketball and snap their win streak.

Los Angeles never led on the night, and Paul was one of five Wizards to score in double figures as he chipped in 11 points, five rebounds, five assists and a steal in 29 minutes.

Los Angeles Clippers v Washington Wizards

Point guard John Wall, who was matched up with one of the game’s best at the position in Chris Paul, also came ready to play. He tallied seven points and four assists in the first quarter alone, and the Wiz were off to a 30-21 start.

The Clippers chipped their way back into it behind eight points from CP3 and cut the D.C. lead to just five. However, the Wizards then mounted a furious 12-2 run to close the half. No. 34, Wall and Bradley Beal each hit from deep on consecutive possessions, with Paul starting the three parade.

Wall then continued it when he picked the pocket of Blake Griffin and found a wide-open Beal in the corner in transition. Moments after Beal knocked down that shot, Wall finished the run with a trifecta of his own, making it 57-42 at the break.

Beal finished with a game-high 29 points, while Wall went for a 10-point, 11-assist double-double to outduel a seven-time All-Star and two-time Olympic gold medalist in Chris Paul.

“John knows that Chris, over the last few years, has been the more heralded point guard, but he was up for the challenge,” The Truth said of his point guard. “He’s emerging into a superstar right before our eyes. You see it against all the top point guards; he wants that challenge.”

Los Angeles Clippers v Washington Wizards

From halftime on, the Wizards never led by less than seven.

Though Washington put up 104 points and shot 48.8 percent, the true key to victory for the Wizards was their stellar defense that held Los Angeles to just 96 points; the Clippers are fourth in the league in scoring with an average of 106.4 points per game. But even when the Wizards couldn’t get a stop, they made sure to make the Clippers earn every point.

Paul said the key was stopping the Clippers from running fast breaks and disrupting their offensive rhythm, and he revealed the team’s bruising mentality, which led to the big victory.

Los Angeles Clippers v Washington Wizards

“We wanted to hit them,” he said after the game. “We said we wanted to get up on them and be more physical, knock them down when they get into the paint, make nothing easy. I thought we gave them a taste of that East Coast basketball tonight.”

BIG 3RD FUELS WIN

While the Wizards started fast and led wire-to-wire against the Clippers, that same motivation wasn’t there early on Sunday against the Jazz, who entered the game at just 6-17.

After shooting over 50 percent in the first half Friday night, the Wiz hit less than 40 percent of their shots in the first 24 minutes Sunday, and at halftime they found themselves trailing 42-37.

The Truth saw that as a great learning experience for his team as they adjust to life at the top of the standings.

“They look at our record, they see how we’re trying to build up a reputation in the East. The teams who are at the bottom, they always go at the teams at the top and try to have something to prove,” Paul explained. “So we have to expect that, especially from the lower seeded teams. I know we’re going to be up for the teams at the top, but we have to be ready for the teams that aren’t as good as we are.”

Paul tried to combat the motivated Utah squad in the first half, where he tallied eight points off 3-of-5 shooting. He showed some impressive spring in his step in the first, beating the Jazz down the court in transition and taking a feed from Wall for an easy layup. He then caught the Utah defense sleeping, and used a clever cut from the baseline, and again was setup by Wall. This time, the 37-year-old rose and threw down a two-handed slam.

Despite Paul’s best efforts, the Wiz turned the ball over 12 times in the first half, resulting in 21 easy points for Utah. The Jazz also won the turnover battle, tallied 10 second-chance points and owned a 22-18 advantage in the paint, leaving some clear areas of improvement for Washington at the break.

“We turned the ball over a lot early, so that’s what we talked about at the half,” No. 34 revealed. “Then we didn’t rebound it…so we made a concentrated effort in the second half to come out and take care of the ball. Once we decided to rebound the ball better in the third quarter, we were able to get our transition game going.”

Utah Jazz v Washington Wizards

The script was flipped completely in the third quarter, where Washington forced seven turnovers, resulting in 11 points. Eight of their 30 points in the frame came off fast breaks, and they owned the rebounding advantage and outscored Utah 14-8 in the paint.

Paul splashed seven more points, including a three-ball off a feed from Beal to cap a quick 10-2 run that put the Wizards ahead 59-53. By the end of the third, the Wiz had turned their five-point deficit into a nine-point lead, 67-58.

The Jazz fought back and made things interesting in the final minutes. Washington was up 15 with 6:18 remaining the regulation, but Utah kept fighting and pulled within six with 2:40 left. Then cameras caught The Truth giving a pep talk on the court to Beal, who responded with two straight buckets to seal the win for the Wizards.

After the game, Paul wouldn’t reveal exactly what he told his 21-year-old teammate, but he said that, as a team, the Wizards needed to be better defensively down the stretch, rather than depending on Beal to seal the deal with his offense.

“We have to rely on our defense down the stretch. We put too much pressure on our offense when we get these leads,” No. 34 said. “We’re a defensive team first when our offensive isn’t clicking. But I’m happy with the way we finally ended the game. Brad hit those two shots, that was big for us, and he seems to have a good roll going.”

No. 34 finished with 15 points, an assist and two steals in 25 minutes of play. Though his minute totals are lower, Paul has been making the most of every second. He’s tied for No. 66 in the league, averaging 23.2 points per 48 minutes, not far behind Wall, who is averaging 23.7 per 48.

Washington Wizards Media Day

Wall finished with 16 points, eight dimes, six boards, five steals and three blocks, while Beal tallied 22 points, four assists and two steals. The two combined for 77 points over the weekend. After the back-to-back wins, Paul noted the play of Washington’s point guard duo that is now hitting its stride after Beal missed the first nine games of the season.

“We go as they go,” Paul said of Wall and Beal. “Those guys, when they have it going, we’re a tough team to beat.”

NEXT UP

The Minnesota Timberwolves (5-18) come to D.C. for a shot at Paul and the Wizards on Tuesday night. After losing to the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night, the Timberwolves occupy the bottom spot in the Western Conference.

The Wizards are 5-1 against non-conference opponents this season, while the Timberwolves are just 3-5 against the East.

Paul will likely spend the majority of his time matched up with two players who combine to be just four years older than him in 2014 No. 1 overall pick Andrew Wiggins (19) and 2013 No. 14 pick Shabazz Muhammad (22). Wiggins is averaging 19.5 points per game over the last four games while Muhammad is coming off a 28-point outing and has shown drastic growth since his rookie season.

The game begins at 7 p.m. EST and will be broadcast locally on Comcast Sports Net.

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