Tyronn Lue sat along with his arms crossed, his voice regular and his message clear about his displeasure with how the Clippers provoked him with their latest performances and the way all of them need to look within the mirror to repair their issues.
It was extra than simply the 122-97 beatdown by the Lakers on Tuesday night time on the Intuit Dome that had Lue upset. It was the best way his group performed within the final three video games that had the Clippers coach in a uncommon second of ripping his gamers.
“And we’ve been good, so I can’t be, you know, all the way upset,” Lue mentioned. “But the last three games have really pissed me off.”
The Clippers have been down by 31 factors to the Lakers at one level, simply the most recent efficiency Lue took difficulty with.
He additionally pointed to the Clippers’ win over Charlotte and their loss at Toronto.
“We’re just not getting off to good starts,” Lue mentioned. “So, we’re not locking in defensively. Like 45 points in the first quarter [for the Lakers], like that’s just way too many. And so we got to take pride in guarding.
“That’s who we’ve been all season long and now the last three games we’ve kind of let our guards down and this is what happens. So, we’ve got to be better. We’ve got to look at ourselves in the mirror and think about do we want to win or not. That’s got to be our mentality. And so three games in a row we come out with not a great defensive performance and it’s just not putting enough into the game. Even on the offensive end, not putting a lot into the game. And so when that happens you get blown out like we did tonight.”
The Lakers shot 54.9% from the sphere and 48.6% from three-point vary. This was in opposition to a stellar Clippers protection that was ranked third within the NBA in factors given up (107.2) and second in defensive effectivity (106.2) coming into the sport.
“Focus, um, intensity, effort. Whatever you want to call it,” Lue mentioned. “We’re not bringing it. So, we have to fix that.”
Kawhi Leonard had simply 11 factors on four-for-11 capturing.
LeBron James of the Lakers battles for a unfastened ball with Clippers Kris Dunn (foreground) and James Harden.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Occasions)
He was requested why effort has been an issue for the Clippers in latest video games.
“I don’t know,” Leonard mentioned. “It’s hard to say. We all get paid to play this game and leave it all on the floor. So, I’m not sure.”
Leonard nonetheless is proscribed in his minutes. He performed simply 22:26. However at the very least he talked to the media after the sport.
James Harden left with out talking to the media. He had simply seven factors, missed 10 of 12 pictures and was minus-16 in virtually half-hour.
The Clippers have been coming off a four-game journey over eight days however refused to make use of that as an excuse.
“We have to, like T-Lue said, look ourselves in the mirror first and be able to come out here and do our job,” Leonard mentioned. “That’s where it starts. Can’t look over the shoulder for help with those things about playing hard.”
Along with his staff down 25 with 6:58 left, Lue had seen sufficient. He pulled his starters. Two of the gamers who entered have been Patty Mills and Drew Eubanks, acquired Saturday from the Utah Jazz for Mo Bamba, P.J. Tucker, a 2030 second-round draft choose and money issues.
Lue spoke extremely about Mills and Eubanks.
“Two solid guys that you love to have on your team,” Lue mentioned. “Plays the right way. Plays hard, competes.”
The NBA commerce deadline is Thursday, greater than sufficient time for the Clippers to make one other transfer. With that in thoughts, Lue was requested if the Clippers have sufficient to make a deep run.
“Yeah, I do feel that way,” Lue mentioned. “Once we’re able to get Kawhi’s minutes to where we need to get them to, and he’s 100%, meaning timing, meaning just condition-wise, we can make a run. We can beat anyone, any time. We also, if we don’t play the right way, we could lose to any team. So, we do have enough in the locker room to win games and go deep in the playoffs. And, so, we’ve just got to have the right mindset, play for each other and anything can happen.”
