INGLEWOOD — The Clippers aren’t panicking but they do need to be better. Better with their defense and creating shots and better limiting their turnovers if they want to be better than a sub .500 team.
“We got to play better,” Coach Tyronn Lue said. “We got to do things better, starting with the coaches and everybody. We all gotta to look our ourselves in the mirror.”
What continues to stare back is a team that creates problems for itself, one that can’t seem to avoid injuries or double-digit deficits.
The Clippers managed to climb out of an 18-point hole on Saturday night, but like their three previous games, found the chasm too big and lost the Phoenix Suns, 114-103, at the Intuit Dome.
“We’re dealing with injuries and all that stuff, so we (need to) get our whole team back and understand what we need to do and do it every single night,” Lue said.
The Clippers didn’t do everything right on Saturday but came close to avenging Thursday’s loss to the Suns. Trailing 104-96, Kriss Dunn scored and James Harden further cut the lead on a technical foul shot, 104-99.
Ivica Zubac’s dunk made it 104-101 but Devin Booker scored a three-point play to put the Suns back up by eight, 109-101 with 2:59 remaining. Royce O’Neal landed his fourth 3-pointer and high-stepped his way back on defense after giving the Suns a 112-101 lead with 1:40 left.
Zubac’s tip made it 111-103 but the Suns came back and scored off a turnover. Grayson Allen closed out the game with the Suns’ final 3-pointer.
The Suns dominated from long range as they hit 16 of 38 3-pointers (42.1%) and controlled the boards, 42-27.
Meanwhile, the Clippers shot just 30.3% from the 3-point range but 53.2% overall. Zubac led the Clippers with 21 points, while John Collins finished with 19 points and Harden had 13 points and 13 assists.
What the Clippers cannot afford is more injuries. Veteran guard Bradley Beal, who has dealt with a balky knee and sore back already this season, left the game in the first half with soreness in his left hip but returned in the third and finished with 12 points.
Beal’s brief setback is just another reminder how fragile the Clippers’ aging roster is this season.
All-Star point guard James Harden returned to the lineup after missing Thursday’s loss to the Suns because of personal reasons, but Kawhi Leonard missed his third consecutive game because of a sprained right ankle he suffered in the loss to the Miami Heat.
He is expected to miss a few more games despite Lue saying the sprain wasn’t “anything serious.”
Given Leonard’s history, that could mean anything.
And with so many new players this season, the Clippers can’t afford Leonard or Harden to be out for any extended period. Harden is averaging 23.3 points with 5.3 rebounds and 8.6 assists, and Leonard is averaging 24.3 points and 5.7 rebounds.
Harden was listed as questionable before tipoff because he wasn’t feeling well but was available by game time. Harden is averaging 23.3 points per night with 5.3 rebounds and 8.6 assists.
“With James, everything changes. You’re talking about one of the best players of all time,” Suns coach Jordan Ott said.
Not much changed for the Clippers, even with Harden back. While his presence helped the Clippers offensively, it didn’t help them defensively as the Suns closed out the first half with a 13-1 run to take a 60-46 lead into halftime.
The Suns stretched their lead to 18 in the third quarter, but Beal buried two 3-pointers, followed by a floater by Ivica Zubac and a jumper by Derrick Jones Jr. to get the Clippers back within single digits, 69-61.
It was the Suns’ turn not to panic and they quickly regained a 75-61 lead with 6:35 remaining in the third.
Dylan Brooks, who missed the past six games because of a groin injury, scored 16 points in his return and Devin Booker led the Suns with 21 points and 10 rebounds.