“ Hmm… I've had some weird evenings, you have to know how to play despite all that “, blurted Paul George, looking haggard, before sighing generously. Facing the Hawks yesterday, his Clippers had an unexpected evening to say the least: losing at home against a much weaker team on paper, which is also deprived of Trae Young.
What’s more, after being up to 29 points behind on your own floor… “ If we don't play hard, if we don't compete and if we don't take care of what we need to do, we can lose any night. And tonight was one of those nights “, summarizes Tyronn Luewhich mentions four main problems: spacing, defense in transition, lost balls (15) and offensive rebounds conceded (10).
So many sectors, according to the coach, that have been discussed internally at the Clippers in recent weeks. Because the Californians are clearly struggling at the moment: only one victory in five games, with defeats against the Bucks, Wolves and Pelicans. Broadening the spectrum, the Clippers have a very average record of 6 wins and 8 losses since the All-Star Game.
A dynamic that put them out of the game in the quest for first place in the West, now five victories behind the leader, the Thunder. “ This is what we look like, which is not good. We want to be a consistent team and establish an identity. I've always talked about having an identity and I think it's extremely important. Right now, I don't think we have one. », says Paul George bitterly.
A favorable calendar ahead
The latter, like Kawhi Leonard, must face health problems. Just like Russell Westbrook and Norman Powell, two of the most important elements of Tyronn Lue's rotation, in civilian clothes against the Hawks. Absences or not, Kawhi Leonard also thinks that the Clippers must find themselves: what “ type of team we want to be. If everyone says they want to be one of the last teams standing, then you have to go out there and do it “.
“ Maybe it's me. Maybe I need to do something a little different to make sure we do what we're supposed to do. But I will never overreact because I know we are a good team […]. If we want to win, I know what it looks like. I passed by there, I saw it », tries to reassure Tyronn Lue.
He is aware that his team cannot miss this week with a double trip to Portland, before a series of affordable matches against teams from the East (Sixers, Pacers, Magic, Hornets).
| Shots | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Bp | Int | Ct | Party | Pts |
| Kawhi Leonard | 60 | 34.3 | 52.6 | 42.5 | 88.8 | 1.2 | 4.9 | 6.2 | 3.7 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 0.9 | 1.4 | 23.7 |
| Paul George | 60 | 34.2 | 46.3 | 40.1 | 88.9 | 0.5 | 4.8 | 5.3 | 3.7 | 2.1 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 2.8 | 22.3 |
| James Harden | 59 | 34.7 | 44.2 | 40.3 | 88.2 | 0.5 | 4.6 | 5.1 | 8.3 | 2.6 | 1.1 | 0.9 | 1.9 | 17.4 |
| Norman Powell | 65 | 26.0 | 48.9 | 43.5 | 82.6 | 0.2 | 2.4 | 2.6 | 1.1 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 1.9 | 13.9 |
| Ivica Zubac | 54 | 26.4 | 65.3 | 0.0 | 68.7 | 2.9 | 6.2 | 9.2 | 1.4 | 1.2 | 0.2 | 1.2 | 2.7 | 11.5 |
| Russell Westbrook | 58 | 22.6 | 45.2 | 26.8 | 67.7 | 1.4 | 3.7 | 5.1 | 4.4 | 2.0 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 1.8 | 11.1 |
| Terance Mann | 60 | 25.3 | 49.0 | 33.3 | 81.4 | 1.2 | 2.2 | 3.4 | 1.7 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 1.9 | 8.3 |
| Bones Hyland | 28 | 14.7 | 38.1 | 34.0 | 75.0 | 0.1 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 2.4 | 1.1 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 1.4 | 6.5 |
| Daniel Theis | 50 | 17.1 | 53.5 | 36.4 | 72.7 | 1.5 | 2.5 | 4.0 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 0.9 | 2.2 | 6.2 |
| Amir Coffey | 54 | 19.0 | 51.3 | 42.0 | 88.5 | 0.4 | 1.5 | 1.9 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 1.4 | 6.2 |
| Mason Plumlee | 32 | 15.5 | 63.2 | 0.0 | 67.1 | 1.3 | 4.0 | 5.4 | 1.2 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 1.5 | 5.7 |
| Kj Martin | 2 | 15.7 | 40.0 | 20.0 | 50.0 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 1.5 | 5.0 |
| Bj Boston, Jr. | 22 | 7.5 | 40.5 | 28.0 | 72.2 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 1.0 | 3.8 |
| Robert Covington | 3 | 23.1 | 33.3 | 25.0 | 50.0 | 0.7 | 2.0 | 2.7 | 2.3 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 0.7 | 2.3 | 3.0 |
| Nicolas Batum | 3 | 18.0 | 37.5 | 28.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.3 | 2.3 | 1.7 | 0.3 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 1.7 | 2.7 |
| Moussa Diabate | 11 | 5.8 | 52.6 | 0.0 | 64.3 | 1.4 | 0.8 | 2.2 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 2.6 |
| Jordan Miller | 7 | 3.7 | 55.6 | 50.0 | 100.0 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 1.9 |
| Kobe Brown | 35 | 8.3 | 38.1 | 30.8 | 50.0 | 0.3 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 1.2 | 1.7 |
| Pj Tucker | 17 | 14.9 | 33.3 | 30.0 | 100.0 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 2.5 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 1.8 | 1.6 |
| Xavier Moon | 4 | 4.5 | 66.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 1.0 |
| Joshua Primo | 2 | 5.1 | 33.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 1.0 |
