Clippers blow a 22-point lead, falling to Pacers for third straight loss
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The message was clear from Clippers coach Tyronn Lue to his group: Play hard and compete.
After seeing his players struggle in the last three games — including two losses — Lue insisted his players perform at a higher level against the fast-paced Indiana Pacers on Thursday night at Intuit Dome.
Lue wasn’t going to accept any excuses, even if the Clippers were playing short-handed because of a trade made earlier in the day.
In what became a topsy-turvy game, the Clippers opened a 22-point lead in the second quarter, fell behind by 13 in the third, then rallied late before ultimately losing 119-112.
The Clippers traded Terance Mann and Bones Hyland to the Atlanta Hawks for Bogdan Bogdanovic and three second-round picks right before the NBA’s trade deadline Thursday.
Kawhi Leonard played a season-high 33 minutes and scored 11 of his 19 points in the fourth, but that wasn’t enough to save the Clippers from their third consecutive loss.
“I thought we had the right intent,” Lue said. “I thought we played hard. We played hard and competed with a team that plays fast and usually puts up a lot of numbers, a lot of points. And so, you can take this one but still got to learn from it and be better.”
Ivica Zubac had a double-double with 18 points and 15 rebounds and James Harden had 22 points, nine assists and six rebounds.
But 19 turnovers coupled with their inability to stop guard Tyrese Haliburton doomed L.A. Haliburton scored nine of his 14 points in the fourth quarter. He had two steals in the fourth and was three for five from the field.
Pascal Siakam torched the Clippers for 33 points and 11 rebounds.
“We just got to take care of the ball, really,” said Leonard, who had five turnovers. “The next guy got to be ready to be available, and just better passes, really.
“They are a fast-paced team. They did a great job causing turnovers, picking up full court and getting us uncomfortable. So, you got to give them credit. They came out and won the basketball game tonight.”
Before the game, the Clippers (28-23) traded fan-favorite Terance Mann and Bones Hyland to the Atlanta Hawks for guard Bogdan Bogdanovic and three second-round draft picks. They also traded reserve guard Kevin Porter Jr. to the Milwaukee Bucks for MarJon Beauchamp.
The Clippers have been one of the best defensive teams in the NBA, ranking third in points allowed (107.5), second in defensive rating (108.2) and second in steals (10.2).
Even with all that, the Clippers knew their defense would be pushed by the Pacers.
They came to L.A. ranked 10th in scoring (107.5), fourth in field-goal percentage (49.1%) and ninth in three-point shooting (36.9%).
The Lakers continued their momentum on the court, rolling to a 122-97 win over the Clippers at the Intuit Dome despite the emotions of a mega-trade.
The Clippers started strong, holding the Pacers to 22 points on 27.6% shooting in the first quarter, while scoring 42 points.
Indiana center Myles Turner took a forearm to the face and had to be helped back to the locker room with 6:13 left in the first. He was later ruled out for a concussion evaluation.
But the Pacers (29-21) rallied, taking a 64-61 lead at halftime by outsourcing the Clippers 42-19 in the second quarter.
“I didn’t mind tonight’s game,” Lue said. “You are not going to win every game, but some things we can learn. Just taking care of the basketball. So, we had the lead, a big lead, turn the ball over, turn the ball over, turn the ball over. They got back in the game. Take the lead in the fourth quarter after clawing back, playing great defense, good offense and then we got a turnover at halfcourt and they get a dunk and we come back the next play and the same thing.”
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