The Clippers, despite playing a heavy schedule, won 10 of 12 games last month, including nine in row at home. They were holding down the sixth spot in the Western Conference with a 14-9 record and solidifying their reputation as one of the league’s best defensive teams.
And that was without their star, Kawhi Leonard.
“I give our guys credit, our players, no matter who’s been here,” Coach Tyronn Lue said. “When guys have been out, we always feel like we have a chance to win and so just go on the floor every single night. Just finding ways to win.
“It’s not going to be the same every night. It could be different every single night, but just trying to find ways to win, trying to find combinations to win. I give our guys credit, they’ve done that.”
Yet, that hasn’t happened lately. When the monthly calendar changed, so did the Clippers’ fortunes. Injuries to Norman Powell (hamstring), James Harden (groin), Terance Mann (finger), Kevin Porter Jr. (ankle) and Derrick Jones (hamstring) altered the lineup, chemistry and results.
Now, they have lost three in a row this month by an average of 20.3 points, the worst being a 28-point debacle against the Minnesota Timberwolves, and have sunk to a record of 14-12 and ninth in the conference. The Clippers rank 14th in the league in field goal percentage (46.3%), 13th in 3-point shooting (36.9%) and their offense rates 25th with 109.7 points a game.
Powell, who was averaging 23.1 points, was the first to join Leonard on the bench when he suffered a sore left hamstring, missing six games. The shooting guard rebounded with back-to-back games of 28 points against the Denver Nuggets and 30 against the Portland Trail Blazers but has since slumped. Powell scored an average of 15.1% in his last two games, including 16 points against the Nuggets on Friday.
Without Leonard, the Clippers looked to Harden to carry the load, and he responded by averaging 21.6 points, 8.5 rebounds and 6.7 assists. He missed one game because of a strained groin and returned Friday after a nine-day layoff to finish with 15 points, five rebounds, and six assists.
He also had just two free throws after making 13 of 13 the previous game time against the Nuggets.
The injuries – Mann and Jones Jr. remain out – have left Lue with patchwork lineups and players he called “interchangeable parts.”
“We have guys who can step in and play two or three different positions, so with DJ (Jones Jr.) being out right now, having Nico (Batum) in the starting lineup who’s accustomed to doing that and being in that role before. So, we’ll see how it plays out. but you know losing bodies can be tough.”
The Clippers will have a chance to get back to winning when they return to the Intuit Dome to face the Utah Jazz (5-19) on Monday.
