The Clippers played four games in seven days. In 10 matches this season, they have played three straight sets.
Before Saturday’s game against the Toronto Raptors, Clippers coach Tyronn Lue told his players they couldn’t afford to accept their situation.
Despite a 14-point lead, the Clippers put Lue’s words into action and overcame James Harden and Norman Powell who missed key free throws down the stretch in a 105-103 victory at the Intuit Dome that extended their winning streak at four games.
Learn more: Norman Powell continues to shine, scoring 31 goals in Clippers’ win over Kings
Harden had 24 points but missed a free throw with 28.7 seconds remaining, forcing the Clippers to cling to a two-point lead.
Powell had 24 points but missed a free throw with 35.5 seconds left. He then missed another one with 8.1 seconds left, keeping the game one possession.
But the Clippers held on after Toronto’s Jakob Poeltl missed a nine-foot putback after intentionally missing a free throw with 6.2 seconds left. Ivica Zubac grabbed the rebound and passed the ball to Harden, who threw the ball the length of the court as time expired.
Before the game, Lue encouraged his players to continue playing stellar defense and take better care of the basketball.
“I’m just mentally tough,” Lue said. “I can’t give in to fatigue. You can’t give in to the schedule. Just take it one game at a time.
Although the Clippers are one of the best defensive teams in the NBA, Lue said they would be better off if they didn’t allow transition points off turnovers.
Since Saturday, the Clippers have allowed an average of 106.7 points per game, the second-best mark in the NBA. The Clippers rank fourth in defensive rating (107.9).
But the Clippers also give up 16.3 turnovers per game, tied with Toronto for the second-worst mark in the league on Saturday.
“If we just take care of the basketball, I think most nights we can win games with our shooting,” Lue said. “But if you’re having 19 or 20 turnovers every night, it’s hard to win those games because your defense has to be elite, which it has been so far. But we can’t keep putting our hat on our defense every night and turning the ball over, allowing teams to come out and get easy points in transition… If we get to that 10, 12 range, I mean, we’re a different team.
The Clippers turned the ball over 12 times against the Raptors.
And they built a double-digit lead for the 10th straight game — and once again, the Clippers let that lead slip away.
Etc: Lue was asked if Kawhi Leonard, who has not played this season due to right knee inflammation, would travel with the Clippers on their three-game road trip that opens Monday against Oklahoma City. He was brief in his response.
“Uh, no,” Lue said.
This story was originally published in Los Angeles Times.
