INGLEWOOD — The Clippers aren’t panicking but they do need to get better in a lot of areas.
They need to improve on defense, develop stronger team chemistry and slow their turnovers if they want to be better than a .500 team.
“We got to play better,” Coach Tyronn Lue said. “We got to do things better, starting with the coaches and everybody. We all gotta to look our ourselves in the mirror.”
What continues to stare back is a team that creates problems for itself, one that can’t seem to avoid injuries or double-digit deficits.
The Clippers managed to climb out of an 18-point hole on Saturday night, but like their three previous games, they found the chasm too big and lost to the Phoenix Suns, 114-103, at the Intuit Dome.
It was their fourth consecutive loss and third straight at home.
“When it gets tough, we got to get tougher and so I liked our fight back,” Lue said. “I thought we did a good job of not letting go of the rope tonight.”
The Clippers didn’t do everything right on Saturday but came close to avenging Thursday’s loss to the Suns. Trailing 104-96, Kris Dunn scored on a layup and James Harden further cut the lead on a technical foul shot, 104-99.
Ivica Zubac’s dunk made it 104-101 but Suns All-Star Devin Booker scored a three-point play to put the Suns back up by eight, 109-101, with 2:59 remaining. Royce O’Neal landed his fourth 3-pointer and joyously high-stepped his way back on defense after giving the Suns a 112-101 lead with 1:40 left.
Zubac’s tip made it 111-103 but the Suns came back and scored off a turnover. Grayson Allen closed out the game with the Suns’ final 3-pointer.
The Suns dominated from long range as they hit 16 of 38 3-pointers (42.1%) and controlled the boards, 42-27.
Meanwhile, the Clippers shot just 30.3% from the 3-point range but 53.2% overall. Zubac led the Clippers with 21 points, while John Collins finished with 19 points and Harden had 13 points and 13 assists.
“I thought overall it was step in the right direction of how we competed,” Lue said. “I thought we did a good job defensively outside of rebounding the basketball. On those long 3s. We just got to do a better job pursuing the basketball, making sure that we’re not allowing them to get three or four shots of the basket every time down.
“But I thought we had the right intent … they just played better than we did.”
Nicolas Batum said the Clippers’ lapses on defense come down to a lack of discipline.
“That’s it. You got to keep working on discipline. It’s easier to say, but that’s pretty much it,” Batum said.
Besides defensive breakdowns, the Clippers cannot afford more injuries. Veteran guard Bradley Beal, who has dealt with a balky knee and sore back already this season, left the game in the first half with soreness in his left hip but returned in the third and finished with 12 points.
Beal’s brief setback is just another reminder of how fragile the Clippers’ aging roster is this season.
Harden returned to the lineup after missing Thursday’s loss to the Suns because of personal reasons but wasn’t feeling well Saturday. He was listed as questionable before tipoff and coughing afterward but played and finished with 13 points and 13 rebounds.
Kawhi Leonard missed his third consecutive game because of a sprained right ankle he suffered in the loss to the Miami Heat. He is expected to miss a few more games despite Lue saying the sprain wasn’t “anything serious.”
Given Leonard’s history, that could mean anything.
And with so many new players this season, the Clippers can’t afford Leonard or Harden to be out for any extended period. Harden is averaging 23.3 points with 5.3 rebounds and 8.6 assists, and Leonard is averaging 24.3 points and 5.7 rebounds.
“With James, everything changes. You’re talking about one of the best players of all time,” Suns coach Jordan Ott said of Harden’s return.
Not much changed for the Clippers, even with Harden back. While his presence helped the Clippers offensively, it didn’t help them defensively as the Suns closed out the first half with a 13-1 run to take a 60-46 lead into halftime.
The Suns stretched their lead to 18 in the third quarter, but Beal buried two 3-pointers, followed by a floater by Zubac and a jumper by Derrick Jones Jr. to get the Clippers back within single digits, 69-61.
The Suns regained a 75-61 lead with 6:35 remaining in the third.
“We just got to come back, keep walking,” Batum said. “It’s tough right now. But yeah, we still got a chance to get better.”
Dylan Brooks, who missed the past six games because of a groin injury, scored 16 points in his return and Booker led the Suns with 21 points and 10 rebounds.
Jalen Green, who missed the Suns’ first eight games because of a hamstring injury, re-injured his leg in the first quarter. He collapsed after driving the baseline and passing to Ryan Dunn, needing assistance to the locker room. Green did not return.