Loss to Portland exposes more of the LA Clippers’ problems

The LA Clippers almost squeaked out a victory at home last night against the Portland Trail Blazers, but were ultimately held back by a few poor decisions.

The LA Clippers nearly stole one last night, but couldn’t escape their mistakes as they dropped their fourth straight in a 127-131 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. The officials certainly played a role in the loss as well, but this was another in a long line of games that have shown just how flawed LA’s starting group is.

Despite career nights from Tobias Harris (39 points, 11 rebounds) and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (24 points, three assists), it was the starting five that kept the Clippers from coming away victorious on Monday night. Avery Bradley was the main culprit.

Bradley inexcusably logged 30 minutes in last night’s contest, despite recording just one rebound and missing all four of his shot attempts. His plus/minus rating was -22, a game-low. And we know, he isn’t necessarily known for his offensive ability. But his defense wasn’t exactly praise-worthy, either, as Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum combined for 66 points on 22-of-39 shooting.

It isn’t fair to attribute all of those points to Bradley, since he wasn’t guarding both of them throughout the entire game. But after taking a closer look at his defensive stats last night, it doesn’t appear to get any better.

Bradley’s assignments shot 9-for-12 from the floor in last night’s game, or 75 percent. They also made all six of the shots that Bradley contested — meaning they actually shot a lower percentage when Bradley DIDN’T contest the shot versus when he did. His 27 points allowed were also a team-high.

When a player posts defensive numbers like that, and is also held scoreless for 30 minutes, there’s hardly a reason to leave him on the floor, let alone in the starting lineup.

It was the eleventh consecutive game played by this starting group, which has now gone 4-7 since November 20. Clearly, a change needs to be made.

Luckily, one might come ahead of Thursday’s home matchup with the Dallas Mavericks, who beat the Clippers earlier this month by a four-point margin.

According to the LA Times’ Andrew Greif, Doc Rivers is “maybe” considering changing up his starting five moving forward. And while that may not sound hopeful, it’s the first sign that Rivers may be willing to budge on his use of this group.

A potential fix could be swapping out Bradley for either Patrick Beverley or Tyrone Wallace, both of whom have been playing solid basketball as of late. Beverley went off for a season-high 11 assists last night, along with 10 points. Wallace, on the other hand, logged eight points and four rebounds in just under 18 minutes of play. His plus/minus rating against the Blazers was +18, a team-high.

Unfortunately for the Clippers, the problems may not stop there. As the season progresses, it’s becoming increasingly apparent that the center position is the team’s weakest. Yes, Marcin Gortat is probably the best screen-setter in the NBA and yes, Boban Marjanovic is plenty of fun, but the two simply aren’t cutting it.

One could argue that starting Montrezl Harrell at the five is the best solution, and I would probably agree, but then the second unit becomes a huge question mark. For one, it’s where Trezz looks most comfortable, and secondly, who becomes the focal point of the bench while Lou Williams is out with a hamstring injury?

Perhaps the best option would be to bring Johnathan Motley up from the G-League, where he’s just earned his second Player of the Week award. Motley brings a similar brand of effort to Harrell’s, but at 6-10 with a legitimate three-point shot, he makes more sense in LA’s starting five than anyone else.

The 23-year-old is currently averaging 26.5 points and 11.4 rebounds per game with Agua Caliente, and although he’s listed as a forward, he may be the best rebounding big in the Clippers’ system.

Angel Delgado is another option if the Clippers pursue the G-League route, but because he’s so raw on both ends of the floor, it might not be worthwhile to force him into a starting role just yet.

No one is quite sure of what to expect from Rivers in regards to the starting group just yet, but a change needs to come sooner than later. The Clippers are slipping fast, and the issues stem from the first five.

The LA Clippers will get their next shot at redemption on Thursday, when they host DeAndre Jordan and the Dallas Mavericks.