November 5th – November 12th (0W-4L)
Game 1: [@New York Knicks] – [L 97-111]
Key Statistics:
Rebound% – 40% (100% of teams with 40% or less reb% have lost this year), Dreb% – 55.3%, Turnover%(percentage of teams possessions that ended in turnover) – 22.9%
22 turnovers, gave up 18 Oreb, lost rebounds 31 to 48, gave up 28 fast break points
ORtg – 100.0, DRtg – 115.6, eFG% – 56.8%
Key Takeaways:
Harden’s first game, so errors were to be expected, but Harden looked good on offense; possessions where he had the ball usually ended with a good shot, the team was just not hitting shots.
First game where the team struggled to put the ball in the hoop, which will happen and is not a big deal.
The team looked lost on defense, super slow on rotations
Game 2: [@Brooklyn Nets] – [L 93-100]
Key Statistics:
ORtg – 94.9 (100% of teams with under 95 ORtg have lost this year), DRtg – 103.1, eFG% – 44.0% (first game under 50%)
Clippers gave up 45 bench points to an already undermanned Nets team
Harden 5 turnovers, +/- -15 (worst on team)
Key Takeaways:
The Nets were super short-handed, notably missing starters Ben Simmons, Nic Claxton, and Cam Johnson, and then Cam Thomas (their leading scorer) got injured halfway in the game, so this should’ve been a very winnable game.
Hard to win when shooting <40% and 3p% <25%.
Stars were very passive on offense which led to bad shots and turnovers, but also just missed a lot of open shots this game.
Both teams struggled to shoot, but the Clippers defense looked especially slow on recoveries.
Game 3: [@Dallas Mavericks] – [L 126-144]
Key Statistics:
ORtg – 128.6, DRtg – 145.5(worst in the NBA thus far)
47-18 2nd quarter
PG was scoreless in the first half, Norman Powell -35 in 11 min
Key Takeaways:
4th straight loss, this one in embarrassing fashion.
Luka loves loves loves going against the Clippers, while he was incredible and they shot the ball amazingly, the Clipper defense was lackluster.
This was PG and Russ’ worst games of the season by far, but commends to Russ who was the only player that continued to show energy when the team was down 30.
Harden can not play in the small-ball lineup. PJ Tucker has not made a 3 for the Clippers yet.
The offense looks awkward, either a Harden pick&roll with Zu or a Kawhi/PG iso, just needs a lot more balance which hopefully comes with time.
Game 4: [@Memphis Grizzlies] – [L 101-105]
Key Statistics:
ORtg – 104.1, DRtg – 109.4
Gave up 48 Points in the paint.
Harden -28 (worst on the team)
Key Takeaways:
Early turnovers set the tone.
Kawhi and Harden’s worst game of the season.
Not sure why Russ was taken out of the game in favor of Harden in the closing minutes, Russ was great, the only person on the team who plays with energy 100% of the time.
This was another ugly game for the Clippers, 5th loss in a row, 4th loss with James, and losing to the worst team (record wise) in the league…
Big Picture:
Ugly week, although it was Harden’s first few games with the team so it’s hard to make too many conclusions. Clippers are -67 with James Harden on the court and +24 with him on the bench through 4 games. Even the Mavericks commentator felt the need to rant about Harden’s woes and past problems; the commentator spoke nothing but the truth, but like most media surrounding Harden, he did not give the whole picture… Regardless, the starting lineup must change; it will probably be Russ but it should absolutely be Harden coming off the bench as a supersub 6 man. The energy was disappointing this week, especially on defense. Russ can be the heart and soul, but Kawhi & PG have to lead this team by example on the court; that duo is too good to look as bad as they did this week. Russ has been so amazing in his role since becoming a Clipper and is now asked to change his role dramatically with the addition of Harden, which is not only unfair but its clear that the team thrives when Russ can be Russ. 10 games is what Harden and Ty Lue said they need to figure it out… So we’ll just have to see.
The Clippers are 0-4 in clutch games this year, the worst in the NBA. They average the 4th most turnovers, 4th most personal fouls, they give up the 2nd most 2nd chance points, 23rd in assists, and 20th in rebounds.
What to Expect Next Week:
2 Games, @Denver Nuggets on Tuesday, vs Houston Rockets on Friday
Both games this week are “in-season tournament” games, the first of which will showcase the Denver Nuggets with their f-ugly court and jerseys as the Clippers go against the defending champs on the last of this 6 game road trip. Will the Clippers end their 5 game losing streak this game…? probably not. The Nuggets are missing Jamal Murray but they are also coming off a loss to Houston, so expect them to be hungry for a win against the struggling Clippers. The Clippers have also had a very tough time against the Nuggets recently losing the past 6 matchups and 9 of the last 10.
The streaking Houston Rockets come to LA later in the week where the Clippers will play host with their new city jerseys and special court. Coming into this week the Rockets are surprisingly the hottest team in basketball. Their 6 total wins coming from a current 6 game winning streak where they have looked the best they have in years. If there was any game for the Clippers to come out with a vengeance, it would be this one at home against the young Rockets.
Feel free to join the discussion, and share your questions, thoughts, and predictions on the team this week, or the upcoming games for next week in the comments below.
West Coast Hoops 