Now comes the hard part. Again.

After starting the season at 6-21, Clippers coach Tyronn Lue told the team on Dec. 20 that their goal was to go 35-20 the rest of the way, which would put them at 41-41 by season’s end. The challenge seemed daunting.

The Clippers have gone 24-10 since Lue’s challenge, putting them at 30-31 after routing the struggling Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night for their third consecutive victory, one game within the .500 mark. Again.

They crept within two games (22-24) after winning three in a row in late January but proceeded to drop three of their next four games to see their shot at a .500 record slip away.

A month later, the Clippers were 27-28 on Feb. 19 after an impressive victory over the Denver Nuggets only to lose the next three and fall four games below the goal of evening their record.

Reaching the elusive mark could remain challenging. The Clippers travel to San Antonio to face the red-hot Spurs (44-17) on Friday night, kicking off a two-game trip and a tough stretch in which they play six games in nine days.

The Spurs, led by Victor Wembanyama, have won 12 of their past 13 games and show little signs of slowing down. Wembanyama is averaging 23.4 points on 50.1% shooting from the field, while pulling down 11.1 rebounds per game – a tough assignment even for the Clippers, who have limited their past five opponents to 106 ppg.

Containing Wembanyama will be tougher without forward John Collins (neck) and rookie center Yanic Konan Niederhauser (ankle), who did not make the trip. Point guard Darius Garland (toe management) will also sit out the first game of the back-to-back set, though he is expected to play Saturday against the Memphis Grizzlies (23-38).

After their quick trip, the Clippers return home for games against the New York Knicks (40-23), Minnesota Timberwolves (39-23), Chicago Bulls (25-37) and Sacramento Kings (14-49).

The Grizzlies and Kings are the softest spots during this stretch, but the Clippers have victories against the Houston Rockets on the road and the Nuggets at home during their recent run and are playing with the kind of offensive balance that should lead to more success, no matter the opponent.

In five of their past six games, the reconfigured Clippers have had five or more players score in double figures.

“That’s how we wanted to look,” Lue said. “When everyone’s touching the basketball, for one, you’re better defensively. And then two, that means guys are sharing the basketball. Guys are touching the basketball, making plays for each other, and that’s how we want to play. That’s the style we need to play.”

Newcomer Bennedict Mathurin is among those making a significant impact, oftentimes taking charge of the offense. In the games he has played since being acquired in a trade with Indiana, he is averaging 19.2 points.

Lue praised Mathurin’s effort in logging 23 points on 8-of-11 shooting against the Pacers, his fourth game of at least 20 points as a Clipper. He also had eight rebounds, four assists, one blocked shot and one steal.

This came after Lue sat Mathurin down to discuss how he tends to ignore scoring opportunities in transition and with his catch-and-shoot 3-pointers.

“I thought he was aggressive, attacking the basket,” Lue said. “Tonight, I thought it was really efficient, 8 for 11 from the field, but also attacking, getting to the basket. So, we just got to continue to keep building off him.”

CLIPPERS AT SPURS

When: Friday, 6:30 p.m. PT

Where: Frost Bank Center, San Antonio

TV/Radio: FDSN SoCal, ESPN/570 AM

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