With the grand opening of arguably the best sports arena in the world, the LA Clippers aspired to win their first home game of the season to lead with good luck. In reality, they faced a crucial overtime loss to the Phoenix Suns, a team that will not be in the playoffs.
Not only did the Clippers sink in the season-opener in their territory, but they added three more consecutive losses to the same category. All the signs pointed to bad karma, as head coach Tyronn Lue had fans waiting for what felt like forever before the team could win its first at Intuit Dome.
On November 4th, 2025, against the San Antonio Spurs, the Clippers finally notched their first victory in the history of Intuit Dome.
Ever since the Clippers’ four straight defeats in their new residence, they finished the season with a home record of 30-7. This is the third most wins in the league, behind the Oklahoma City Thunder and Cleveland Cavaliers, during that time frame(11/04/24-04/09/25). Additionally, after the All-Star break, the Clippers had only lost one home game, and that was by two points to the Thunder.
The final game of the regular season at Intuit Dome was against the Houston Rockets, where Ivica Zubac recorded the first triple-double of his career in a win. This was the best way to end with prosperity.
Nonetheless, the Clippers must land a home-court advantage in round one of the postseason to gain serious upside, especially from ‘The Wall.’
Numbers prove that claiming a top-four seed is the Clippers’ key secret to winning the first-round
Though shifts in the standings can occur, it is becoming more concrete that the LA Clippers will be paired with the Denver Nuggets in round one. This is a crucial series for Kawhi Leonard and Ivica Zubac, as the Nuggets eliminated them in the second round of 2020.
Moreover, in home games after All-Star weekend, the Clippers have reached an offensive rating of 122.6(4th), a defensive rating of 107.2(2nd), and a net rating of 15.4(1st).
Having these metrics on the cusp of the season finale do nothing but prove why the Clippers are the best two-way team in basketball, primarily at home. They could undoubtedly win against the world in a seven-game series, if they play on their land.
However, the Clippers can only become the fourth seed if they triumph over the Golden State Warriors on Sunday and the Nuggets lose to the shorthanded Houston Rockets.