They haven’t embraced road

The Clippers are winless away from Staples Center.

In the season opener, the Phoenix Suns defeated the Clippers, 112-104. On Tuesday, the Utah Jazz routed the Clippers, 112-90.

The Clippers, who returned to practice Thursday after a day off, are 5-0 at Staples Center, but Coach Mike Dunleavy said he’s focused on the big picture.

“We’ve played two good teams” on the road, Dunleavy said. “No matter what their record is, Phoenix is pretty good. Utah, from what I’ve seen, is the best team in the league right now....

“But in both games, we made some mistakes and they kind of blew up on us in the fourth quarter. Obviously, if we want to play late into the season, we’ve got to do a better job. You’ve got to be able to beat good teams on the road.”

Last season, the Clippers set a franchise record with 20 road victories, finishing 20-21. The 1974-75 Buffalo Braves had 19 road victories.

Dunleavy has encouraged the Clippers to “embrace the challenge of playing on the road” in his four seasons with the team.

“We have to be able to beat good teams on the road, and we’ve got a way to go there,” Dunleavy said. “We’ve also got the pressure to maintain what we’ve been doing at home.”

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Struggling center Chris Kaman performed well at practice Thursday, Dunleavy said.

“He was more aggressive, he made shots and he finished around the basket,” Dunleavy said. “Now, we just have to get it to translate to games.”

In seven games, Kaman is shooting 37.5% from the field and is averaging 7.4 points and 6.0 rebounds. Last season, Kaman averaged personal bests of 11.9 points, 9.6 rebounds and 1.4 blocked shots. He made 52.3% of his shots from the field and 77% from the free-throw line.

“We still have to get on him at times because he passes up great looks” at the basket, Dunleavy said. “It’s the same story with him, he’s just still a little tentative right now. But he’s playing hard, so he’ll get it figured out. I’m not really worried.”

jason.reid@latimes.com