After collapsing in the fourth quarter in a loss to the Miami Heat, the LA Clippers can’t afford a loss to the lowly Phoenix Suns.
On Saturday, the LA Clippers lost by 23 points to the Miami Heat. The loss was due to poor coaching and concurrent fall in the fourth quarter. Now, the Clippers are 16-9 with a record that holds them fourth in the NBA’s Western Conference.
Now losers of two straight games, the Clippers can’t afford another loss against the Western Conference’s worst team, the Phoenix Suns.
In the loss to the Heat, frustration infiltrated the Clippers bench and Doc Rivers. Rivers was ejected by the end of the game, which was caused by the detriment of the crumble in the fourth. Miami outscored the Clippers 30-8 in the last quarter en route to a 121-98 victory.
One positive in the Clippers loss was Tobias Harris, who continued to stay consistent contributing 20 points. It was a solid show of resilience, as it came just one game after Harris scored a season-low seven points against the Memphis Grizzlies.
In addition, we saw shades of greatness from Lou Williams again as he scored 18 points. It was the 11th time this season that he had scored at least 18 points in a game.
In the Clippers loss there seemed to be a lack of mental stability. A mental stability that was showcased this season but was inept this game. There is talk of the Clippers losing focus because of their focus on how the referees call the game. This could be centered around the coach, Doc Rivers, and how his unending complaining negatively affects the Clippers mental strength. Again, this is all speculation, Doc has been doing a great job this season with rotations and lineups, but has gone a bit overboard in certain situations.
The Clippers simply can’t have another poor offensive night tonight against the Phoenix Suns. Fortunately for LA, the Suns rank bottom-five in both points scored and points allowed per game. Phoenix is also a team that the Clippers have already beaten once this season. On November 28, the Clippers topped them by a final score of 115-99.
Montrezl Harrell, another player known for his consistency, has struggled in his last two outings for LA. He scored just 18 combined points against Memphis and Miami, roughly two points off of his per-game average this season. He scored 18 against Phoenix in late November, so here’s hoping he comes back around soon.
The Clippers and Suns will tip-off tonight at 6:00 PM PST from Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona.