Clippers Look Painfully Average Ahead of Toughest Test

The Los Angeles Clippers are looking average ahead of their toughest test on Tuesday: the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder. Following their first loss at home this season to the Miami Heat on Monday, the Clippers have dropped to a 3-3 record and are not playing like the contenders they were expected to be before the season.

Clippers Look Painfully Average Ahead of Toughest Test

The loss against the Heat wasn’t even because the Clippers shot badly from the field. They were average, shooting 50% (44-88), but allowed the Heat to have way too many open looks. The game was a chance for the Clippers to get a win against a team in the midst of a back-to-back ahead of their duel with OKC, but crucial turnovers down the stretch prevented that.

Despite having a great game with 29 points and eight assists, and hitting a crucial three-pointer to tie the game 116 with 1:46 remaining, James Harden had two crucial turnovers that led to clutch buckets from Miami. On the other hand, Kawhi Leonard, fresh off a game-winner against the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday, tried to win it again for the Clippers but failed. Still, Los Angeles wouldn’t have been in the position to win without him recording 27 points, four rebounds, and four assists.

No other Clipper finished with more than 15 points. There were stretches of good play on both ends, but as we’ve seen so far this season, the bad eventually equals the good, with stagnant offense and nonexistent defense showing themselves in important stretches.

The Good

Just as everyone expected, the Clippers’ title chances still revolve around Harden and Leonard. The two stars are doing a great job at keeping the Clippers’ boat afloat to start the season. Leonard has yet to miss a game while being consistent as the team’s first option on offense. Harden continues to be a reliable facilitator and has solidified his and Leonard’s 1-2 punch as one of the deadliest in the league.

Aside from Leonard and Harden’s stellar plays so far, most of the Clippers’ good this season has come from Derrick Jones Jr. and his efficient play. Kris Dunn and John Collins have also emerged as energizers off the bench. Both players give much-needed bursts of pace in the second-string lineups that consist of Brook Lopez, Nicolas Batum, and Chris Paul. 

They boast the 14th-best offensive rating in the league. But they have been mostly efficient shooting the ball at 49.3%, good for the 10th best in the league. They have also shot excellently at home, leading the league in effective field goal and true shooting percentages.

The Bad

The Clippers were doing a good job in the first half in taking care of the ball against Miami. In the second half, however, turnovers prevented Los Angeles from securing the momentum. Head coach Ty Lue said it best after the game: “16 turnovers in the 2nd half. Same s–- over and over man.”

The Clippers tallied 20 turnovers against the Heat, and are the worst in the league at taking care of the ball after six games. It doesn’t help that they are also the 20th-worst in defensive rating, a far cry from being one of the best defensive teams last season. 

On the other end, the team’s offensive rhythm remains stagnant outside of the two stars. Bradley Beal is still on a minutes restriction and has yet to regain his high-scoring form. The former All-Star is averaging 6.7 points per game thus far. The third-highest scorer on the team, Ivica Zubac, continues to be a big presence in the paint. But his signature pick-and-rolls with Harden are not as deadly as they were a season ago.

The Last Word

It will be interesting to see how Lue adjusts against one of the best offensive teams in recent memory on Tuesday. It will be their toughest test to date, made even difficult with the statuses of Leonard—who said he tweaked his ankle against the Heat—and Beal.

The talent within the Clippers is still evident, though, and it will be a matter of how they can generate their points without Harden and Leonard, as well as how they improve their defensive schemes. A win would reignite the team and the fanbase’s hopes, but a loss could assert a more tragic feeling that has been brewing since their season-opener loss against the Utah Jazz.