Clippers Hoots and Hollers Week 3: The struggles escalate
By Nate Head
When reviewing the Los Angeles Clippers’ performance from the NBA’s third week, it’s clear their struggles escalated.
Overall record: 6-7
Record last week: 0-3
Western Conference standing: 8th
Hoots
1. The team is healthy
It would be a lie to say the idea of leaving the “hoots” section of this column empty wasn’t considered, as there was a definite shortage of positive moments in the Clippers’ disastrous three-game losing stretch. However, the fact that starters Chris Paul and J.J. Redick have returned to the starting lineup is an encouraging sign for Los Angeles moving forward. Paul, who was sidelined with a groin injury that forced him to miss two games, rejoined the team in Thursday night’s battle with Golden State in remarkable fashion, finishing the game with a blistering 35 points on 13-of-22 shooting. Redick missed three games with back spasms but was back on the court for the team’s last two games, where the veteran sharpshooter struggled, shooting just a combined 8-of-25 in those contests. The team has yet to win since either Paul or Redick returned, but based on the proven capabilities of the duo, that should change in the near future.
Hollers
1. 0-3 on the week
The Clippers played their first (and best) game of the week against the Warriors, but came up short as a result of stellar play from reigning MVP Stephen Curry and his high-powered supporting cast, whose fourth quarter performance was too much for the Clippers to handle. This one stung, as the Clips led the majority of the game (by 23 at one point), but once again, succumbed to the will of Golden State and their ferocious comeback attitude. On Friday night, the Clippers let another one slip, this time to Portland, despite 20 points from Jamal Crawford off the bench and shooting a whopping 60 percent from the field in the first half. As for Sunday night, there’s not much to say, other than it was an extremely lackluster performance all-around that resulted in an embarrassing 11 point loss at home to the Raptors.
2. 11 points in a quarter?
The second quarter of Sunday afternoon’s game with Toronto, where L.A. netted just 11 points, left Clippers fans scratching their heads in bewildered confusion. Obviously, it was the lowest total scored in a quarter this season, and sadly, reminded folks of the 1999 season, where the Clips managed to score only 3 points in the second quarter and 19 points in the entire half in a mid-December game with the Lakers. Hopefully, this atrocity was simply a fluke, because 11 points just isn’t going to cut it (even though the Raptors scraped by with a victory on only 8 points in the third quarter).
3. Locker room turmoil
Just when it appeared the Clippers couldn’t possibly reach a lower point in their season, they went to the locker room after their loss to the Raptors — where chaos ensued, according to various reporters and media outlets. Loud shouting and expletives could be heard through the walls at Staples Center; the site of the altercation being (you guessed it) the home locker room. Josh Smith and an assistant coach were the main contributors to the commotion (per Dan Woike of the Orange County Register). Frustration is normal between a team embarking on a 82-game journey, but to have this kind of drama just 13 games is not a pleasant sight.
This week
The Clippers look to bounce back from a disappointing week with three games at home against the Utah Jazz (Wednesday), New Orleans Pelicans (Friday), and Minnesota Timberwolves (Sunday). The lone away game for the team is Tuesday night in Denver for the first matchup with the Nuggets of the 2015-16 campaign. On the bright side, it’s only up from here, right?
Nate’s Player of the Week: Chris Paul