INGLEWOOD, Calif.— The Clippers were overwhelmed by the Wemby-less Spurs 118-99. This loss drops Los Angeles outside the top eight seeds in the West.
Heading into the night, the Clippers held a 0.5 game lead over the Trail Blazers for the eight seed. A victory for Los Angeles would keep their position in the Play-In Tournament.
For the Clippers to keep this lead over Portland, they would have to take down the Spurs. San Antonio were the hottest team in the league with 10 straight wins heading into the matchup.
However, before the game, it was announced that Victor Wembanyama would be ruled out with an ankle injury. In what seemed like a huge break for the Clippers, it turned out to be a disaster instead.
Sluggish offense
A major concern with the Clippers is the lack of rhythm from the offense. The ball is not moving around enough and this allows defenses to double the ball.
The Spurs' defense pressured the Clippers’ ball handlers as soon as they crossed half court. San Antonio threw numerous doubles throughout the night, but Los Angeles lacked the speed to react to the defense.“Getting it out quick, get the ball up the floor, attacking,” said Coach Lue. “They was able to score layups and threes, dunks against us by pushing the pace, getting the ball up the floor quick, and we got to do the same thing. We got to have more of a rhythm and a flow to our offense.”
Lack of pace for the Clippers led to tough contested shots from behind the arc. This resulted in an abysmal 5/27 on three-pointers for Los Angeles.
Pushing the pace will allow the Clippers' offense to attack the defenses and generate more efficient looks.
Lifeless defense
On the other side of the ball, the Clippers struggled immensely on defense. Even without Wembanyama, Los Angeles struggled to protect the paint.
San Antonio dominated inside and racked up 66 points in the paint. The Clippers allowed open driving lanes, which allowed the Spurs to get to the rim with ease.
The perimeter defense wasn’t much better for the Clippers either. The Spurs productively moved the ball around and found open looks.
Defensively, the Clippers were not pressuring the perimeter, which allowed San Antonio to swing the ball where they wanted to. The Spurs recorded 30 assists and shot 53% from the field.
Inside or outside the perimeter, the Clippers could not put any type of resistance on defense.
Danger awaits
An underwhelming showcase against the Spurs costed the Clippers greatly. Los Angeles is in danger of missing out on the top eight completely.
Ninth seed in the West results in the Clippers losing a safety game for the Play-In tournament. Meaning that the Clippers would have to win two games and play the second on the road in Phoenix or Portland.
Further than just a drop in the standings, the Clippers are playing uninspiring basketball at the worst time. An identity crisis both offensively and defensively is not a formula that translates to a playoff team.
This loss to the Spurs was not just a drop in the standings but an indicator that the Clippers are struggling. As the standings now currently show, the Clippers are not playing like a playoff team.