INGLEWOOD — Ivica Zubac slumped in his chair, disappointment hanging on every “I don’t know.” Frustration marking any attempt to explain why the Clippers are stuck in a funk.
The 6-foot-10 center couldn’t say why the team missed another opportunity to win after losing to the Memphis Grizzlies, 112-107, on Friday night in their first game back at the Intuit Dome after a seven-game trip.
Zubac has no idea how he and his teammates can pull themselves out of their current tailspin, in which they have lost 12 of their past 14 games or how they can avoid fading in the second half of any future games.
He did know one thing, though.
“We have to stick together and try to do the right thing. Man, we know what it is. We know we got to be better with,” said Zubac, whose team lost its sixth consecutive home game despite a 39-point game from star forward Kawhi Leonard. “We know what it is. We just got to execute it on the court, stick together and know that no one’s feeling sorry for us. No one’s coming to help. That’s all we got. So, we got to figure it out, play harder and go out there and do it.”
And for a half, the Clippers were playing the right way. They played aggressive defense, disrupting more than a dozen layups and tip-ins. They got double-digit scoring from each of their top two stars and limited their opponents to five fast-break points while building a 16-point lead.
Their inspired play, however, lasted for all of 24 minutes, as the Clippers faded in the second half again, repeating familiar mistakes that eliminated them from NBA Cup play. They could have potentially qualified for the knockout round with a win and other favorable results around the league.
After a solid first half, the Clippers (5-14) let up, which allowed the Grizzlies, who struggled with the easiest of shots early on, to take their first lead at 87-85, less than two minutes into the fourth quarter. Memphis (8-12) had trailed, 63-50, at halftime.
Vince Williams Jr. gave the Grizzlies an 89-85 lead moments later on a 9-foot floater, setting up the Clippers for what appeared to be another letdown.
Leonard, however, scored six consecutive points that shook the Clippers out of their doldrums and into a brief two-point (91-89) lead with 8:10 to play.
The Grizzlies (8-12) then went on a tear, scoring 10 consecutive points to open a 103-95 lead and the momentum to close out the game.
“Every second half, we don’t come out right,” Zubac said. “We’re not playing the right way. It feels a little bit mental. The second half we got to string some wins, man. We got to string some wins.”
Still, there were positive signs.
Leonard shook off the fogginess that marked his first two games after a 10-game absence because of ankle and foot injuries and shot 15 for 24 from the field on the way to his team-high point total, including his third 3-pointer with seven seconds left that could have set the Clippers up for a last-second victory.
But Memphis tacked on two free throws by Jaylen Wells that secured the victory.
James Harden added 23 points, seven rebounds and 10 assists for the Clippers (5-14), and Zubac had nine points and 11 rebounds.
Coach Tyronn Lue chalked up their second-half letdowns to fatigue and sloppy play; the Clippers are averaging seven turnovers in the third quarters.
“Some guys can be running out of gas at times,” Lue said before the game. “I think (they are) getting tired, taking shortcuts or just mentally fatigued, I don’t know. But like I said, we are prepared.”
Leonard said the team needs to get tougher, play with more effort in the second half.
“That’s a challenge you got to face and I’m up for it and we just got to go out there and tuck in our jerseys and get ready to scrap if we really want to win,” Leonard said. “It can’t be two players, can’t be three. It has to be the whole 15, the unit, even guys on the bench that’s not playing.”
The Clippers gave themselves a chance to win in the first half, building a 63-50 lead at the intermission behind Leonard’s 18 points and Harden’s 17.
Mostly, the Clippers took advantage of the Grizzlies’ inability to score inside to take a double-digit lead into halftime. Memphis, one of the better one-on-one attacking teams, shot 17 for 44 from the floor in the first half, missing at least a dozen easy layups or tip-ins.
It’s that kind of interior defense that has been lacking for the Clippers at times this season.
Jaren Jackson Jr. had a team-high 24 points for the Grizzlies (8-12). Six other Memphis players scored in double figures.
NOTE
Clippers point guard Chris Paul received a video tribute in his first home game since announcing that he would retire after the season. Paul finished with five points and two rebounds in 15 minutes.