As long as Kawhi Leonard is not back, the Clippers will have to grit their teeth and compensate with their collective. When he runs well, it gives a 19 point lead in the first half against the Suns. And when things get stuck, it gives 39 points conceded in the 3rd quarter and six lost balls in the 4th quarter, and a defeat after being up to 21 points ahead… Nicolas Batum's partners still haven't not won in their new venue, the Intuit Dome.
“We have to continue to improve. We need to finish matches better and we need to continue to learn how to do that,” Lue reacted. “The five matches we played were close, they came down to the wire. We were lucky to win two. … We must therefore stay the course and understand that our margin for error is very fine. Every possession counts. We play hard, we are competitive, but we have to play smarter and we have to do better. »
Too many lost bullets
Author of his 78th career triple-double, to tie Wilt Chamberlain, James Harden clearly illustrates the Clippers' problems. The “bearded man” raises his level of play, but he also lacks efficiency with a 3 out of 10 from 3-point range and six lost balls.
“There will always be lost bullets” he defends himself. “I try to avoid them, but some of the passes I send are successful, others are not. So I try to find a balance between when to pass and when not to. But the ones that aren't forced, I have to control them much better. But I don't think it was necessarily the turnovers that lost the match. »
Do not give confidence to the opponent
For him, it was in defense that the Clippers failed. “We came out of the game in the third quarter defensively. They didn't feel us defensively, they didn't feel our presence, and they were just comfortable. They made shots and that’s what allowed them to get back into the match.” he continues.
For Harden, one thing is certain, the Clippers have the workforce to compensate for the absence of Leonard. “ We arrived with the right energy, and the start was positive. We have enough talent… But when we lead, we must learn to take good shots and maintain these leads. It's up to us, and learning is painful. »
