The LA Clippers dropped their fourth game in the last five with Sunday night's loss against the Atlanta Hawks. Kawhi Leonard and Paul George's ballclub is now in danger of slipping out of a top-four seed in the Western Conference.

The Clippers lost by a score of 110-93 for their 11th loss at home and 25th on the season. Kawhi Leonard finished with 26 points, two rebounds, and two assists. He started the game with 17 first-quarter points on 6-of-9 shooting but scored just 11 points the rest of the way on 2-of-8 shooting.

Paul George added 26 points, six rebounds, and four steals. Together, he and Leonard combined for 56 of the Clippers' 93 points on 46 percent shooting from the field. Those two Clippers were the only ones to score in double-figures, with the rest of the team shooting just 11-of-37 shooting (29.7 percent).

This Clippers team is one that's expecting — or hoping — to make a deep playoff push for the franchise's first championship in four short weeks. Right now, however, games are filled with defensive mistake after defensive mistake, major communication issues, and a lack of effort.

“I just kind of felt like we were in mud tonight really,” Kawhi Leonard said after the Clippers' loss. “We didn't really give all the effort that we could have gave. I felt like they pretty much won in transition. And offensively, we were in mud a little bit, kind of slow-footed. So once we get back on track, we got to look at games like this to have turnovers. I mean I think that was pretty much the game. Like I said, the effort wasn't a hundred percent there and just being a little slow-footed on the offensive end.”

The Hawks recorded 31 fast break points, scored 26 points off of 16 Clippers turnovers, outscored LA in the paint 48-30, and made six more three-pointers on the night. For a while there, it appeared as though the Clippers were going to set a new season-low in points scored.

“All it takes is, when it comes down to the wire and we hopefully start to play well, iron out whatever wrinkles we got to iron out going down this stretch,” Paul George added after the fourth loss in five games for the Clippers. “16 wins and I believe this team can get 16 wins when we need to, when it matters most. But we can't look like that team that we all think we can be if we don't start shaping up and looking like that team now, then it all means nothing. But I've seen this team put together some really good wins and streaks. I’m optimistic we can figure it out. And it's just past couple games. We've been playing well up until this point, but now, we got to go back to the drawing board.”

At times this season, it appeared as though this Clippers team was unbeatable when everything was clicking. At other points, they were winning games strictly off talent, and they'll be the first ones to tell you that. Teams now know to run on them in transition and attack the offensive glass.

The Clippers had three games prior to the All-Star break (53 games) where they allowed 20+ points off turnovers and 20+ fast break points in the game contest. Since the All-Star break, the Clippers have allowed that to happen five times in just 14 games.

Whether it is or is not the case, the team appears to be one just waiting for the playoffs to come around, where they believe they can just flip a switch. Most of NBA history will tell you that's not possible, so this act has to be cleaned up soon.

“I mean that's what we're appearing to look like, which is not good,” Paul George explained. “Not good. We want to be a team that's consistent and we want to establish an identity. I've always spoken about having an identity and I think it's extremely important. When you're a team that has an identity, teams know what they're going up against and right now I don't think we have an identity.”

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Consistency and effort are things you expect to waver more out of young and undisciplined teams, or ones dealing with significant injuries. But Kawhi Leonard and Paul George both just played in their 61st games of the season on Sunday night. That's the most games in a season either player has played with the Clippers since arriving in Los Angeles in 2019. Add in James Harden, who has played in 60 of the 62 games since he was traded to the Clippers in late 2023.

So why, despite having your best three players healthy, do the Clippers still struggle with consistency?

“It's hard to say,” Kawhi Leonard acknowledged. “I know it doesn't need to happen. We shouldn't be talking about consistent games like this. I felt like we gave effort the last game though, against the Pelicans. But just tonight it’s just how it played out. But if we want to do something special or just give us a chance to reach a goal, we got to be better and that's nothing that the coaches could do. It is just on us to get out there and at least play hard and move at some type of pace.”

The Clippers will have a pair of days off before they fly to Portland to take on the Trail Blazers in a two-game set this Wednesday and Friday night.