Clippers finally grab a win, but climb remains steep

The Clippers finally gave themselves something to build on Saturday, knocking off the rival Lakers. That much was real. The climb back to relevance, though, remains steep.

Before tipoff, coach Tyronn Lue laid out a blunt target for his team. That would be to go 35-20 the rest of the way just to get back to .500. Later, that became 36-19. Either way, it was less about math and more about mindset.

“We got to start at one,” Lue said, via Janis Carr of the Orange County Register. “I thought we came out with the right intent. Being up 15 at halftime, we probably should have been up 20 to 25. We didn’t run through the tape.”

The Clippers did enough, snapping a five-game losing streak and picking up their first home win in more than seven weeks. Lue treated it like a must-win, riding Kawhi Leonard for nearly 42 minutes and James Harden for almost 41.

“I think we’ve probably led in every single game we played,” Harden said. “Just finding a way to win one feels good.”

It’s a start. Not a solution.

The Clippers still sit near the bottom of the West, and the reality remains harsh, as they owe their first-round pick to the Thunder. For now, all Lue can do is give his group something to chase and hope one win turns into two.