The Los Angeles Clippers struggled in their 98-79 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday. The 78 points tells the story of the offense, as the team failed to find any sort of rhythm against their Western Conference rival. In fact, Los Angeles only recorded 10 total assists in the game -- as a lack of ball movement was apparent. Kawhi Leonard was asked about the Clippers' shockingly low number of assists after the game, via Law Murray of The Athletic.
"Little stagnant," Leonard said. "They did a good job of... making us play fast. We got into a rhythm of coming down court, one pass, shot, or not even that. Just coming down, shooting. You can't do that against a team like this."
The Warriors, meanwhile, dished out 24 assists. They also shot 45.3 percent from the field and 37.8 percent from beyond the arc, while the Clippers finished the contest with shooting percentages of 36.6 percent from the field and 18.2 percent from deep. James Harden scored 20 points and Leonard added 18, but the stars combined for only two assists.
That is not a recipe for success.
The Clippers need an answer on offense
Los Angeles needs to play a better brand of team basketball. The Clippers have arguably the best play-making guard of all-time on the roster, but Chris Paul recorded just under 14 minutes in the entire game. He still managed to tie the team-high on Tuesday night with two assists, however. Perhaps CP3 should receive more minutes as the Clippers look to build a better all-around offensive approach. At this point in his career, Paul won't solve all of the Clippers' concerns, but he could help the situation.
With or without Paul on the floor, though, this Clippers offense should be much better than it was on Tuesday. Los Angeles features the ceiling of a championship contender, but a change clearly needs to be made. The Clippers cannot afford to stand in their own way.
The team now holds a 2-2 record. It has been a mediocre start to the 2025-26 campaign for LA, but there is obviously no shortage of time for the Clippers to get back on track and build consistency. Next up for the Clippers will be the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night in Los Angeles. Taking care of business will be important in that matchup as Los Angeles looks to move on from Tuesday's lackluster performance.