On Sunday, head coach Ty Lue and the Los Angeles Clippers had a chance to capitalize on their two recent road wins over the Portland Trail Blazers and pick up their third victory in a row, a crucial achievement as the season winds down and the playoffs approach. Instead, the Clippers were routed at home by Tyrese Maxey and the Philadelphia 76ers, who won the first and fourth quarters by a 21-point margin to secure a much-needed win of their own and send Lue's squad once again searching for answers.
After the game, Lue had a simple reaction that 76ers fans might take as something of an insult toward their squad.
“It's embarrassing when you lose to teams like this,” said Lue, per Farbod Esnaashari of Sports Illustrated on X, the social media platform formerly referred to as Twitter.
While the 76ers certainly aren't slouches even without superstar big man Joel Embiid in the lineup, it's safe to say that the Clippers probably should be expected to beat that version of the team most nights, especially when playing on their home floor in Los Angeles.
Making matters even more embarrassing for the Clippers on Sunday was that their star trio of Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and James Harden were each individually outscored by Cameron Payne of the 76ers, who does not necessarily have a reputation as a high-octane scorer in NBA circles.
For his part, George seemed to echo Lue's sentiments, stating that the Clippers were not as mentally locked in as they needed to be on Sunday.
“We just gotta lock in and focus. I don't think our focus has been where it needs to be on certain occasions,” said George, per Esnaashari.
A downward spiral for the Clippers
For a couple of months following the James Harden trade, the Clippers looked like legitimate championship threats with a real chance of securing the number one seed in the vaunted Western Conference playoff picture. However, since the All-Star break, Los Angeles' production has fallen off of a cliff, as Harden appears to have hit a wall and the Clippers' usually strong defense is not performing anywhere near up to expectations.
As a result, the Clippers are now in grave danger of losing their current fourth-seed positioning–and with it home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs–to the streaking New Orleans Pelicans, who appear to be playing their best basketball of the season at the right time.
One culprit for the Clippers' recent struggles has been the absence of Russell Westbrook. Despite garnering a reputation as borderline unplayable in the modern NBA during his stint with the Lakers, Westbrook has been able to somewhat resurrect his career in a Clippers uniform, providing energy and effort that has been clearly missing from Ty Lue's lineup in recent weeks.
In any case, the Clippers will look to turn the page on the 76ers loss and get back in the win column on Monday evening when they welcome the Indiana Pacers to the Crypto.com Arena.
Follow Us
Subscribe