Hosting their third regular season home game at Intuit Dome on Thursday night, the LA Clippers took on the Phoenix Suns for the second time in nine nights. By the time the final buzzer sounded, the Clippers were looking at an 0-3 record at home and two losses on both legs of a home back-to-back.
It was of course a deflating loss. After being up by 21 points, it looked like LA could run away with things. But allowing Phoenix back into the game led to the Clippers squandering their lead and losing another winnable contest at home to the Suns. The fanbase was desperate for their team to finally secure a win and allow them to leave Intuit Dome on a high note, but Clipper nation will have to keep waiting for that moment.
The loss sends the Clippers to a 2-3 record. But despite falling below .500, all is not lost for LA. Yes, the Clippers failed to protect their lead, but such is part of the learning curve of a team with so many new players trying to figure out how best to play alongside one another. What the Clippers showed us in their loss to Phoenix was their incredible potential.
Clippers showed great potential against Suns
In the first quarter of action, James Harden was setting his teammates up beautifully for buckets and LA was able to completely pick apart the Suns' defense. The Clippers poured on the points against an a top-level Western Conference team, leading by 17 after one quarter.
When Phoenix made their adjustments, LA struggled to respond, and that is where they can look to build for next time. But the fact that this team has the offensive and defensive capability to dominate against a team as talented as the Suns should be a promising sign for the fanbase.
The next step for the Clippers will simply be learning how to respond under pressure and how to react when things start to go south. Not every game is going to feature LA jumping out to a 20-point lead like they did on Thursday, but there is certainly value in these guys getting the experience of playing in a pressure situation where they are forced to protect a lead. They will undoubtedly be more prepared to handle such a scenario next time.