The “short-handed” Clippers lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night. This embarrassing game might have been a game the Clippers could forget quickly, if it were not for the fact that they take on this Thunder team again on Thursday.

But before we get to the recap, here are a few updates from this morning’s preview: Reggie Jackson did in fact play despite his groin discomfort and, more critically, Kawhi Leonard did not play because of “right knee; injury management.” It was reported that he would be flying home to LA “out of an abundance of caution” after Leonard reported knee stiffness during shoot around, but he was on the Clippers’ bench, for whatever that is worth.

The Clippers ended up starting Reggie Jackson, Norman Powell, Terance Mann, Nicolas Batum, and Ivica Zubac.

Summary

The Thunder came out hard, winning the first quarter 23-18. But their early lead was not the result of hot shooting—they only shot 35% from the field and were 0/6 from three. Instead, they took advantage of the Clippers’ five first-quarter turnovers and earned four offensive rebounds. This gave them eight more shot attempts in the first quarter.

The Clippers only lost the second quarter by one, resulting in a six point deficit at the half. But the Clippers did not even deserve to be that close. Despite the Thunder continuing to be cold from three (12.5% at the half), the Clippers had five more turnovers in the quarter, gave up five more offensive rebounds, and looked like they had never played together.

The third quarter was absolutely embarrassing for the Clippers. They only lost the quarter by ten, but the Thunder pushed their lead to as high as 26. During one stretch, the Clippers gave up a 21-0 run. To their credit, the Clippers did respond with a 20-7 run of their own, but they still found themselves down 16 going into the forth quarter.

Again, the Thunder were not exactly lighting the Clippers up. In the end, the Thunder shot just 38% from the field and 13% from three. But the Clippers’ disorganization and lack of focus allowed the Thunder to win the rebounding battle by 13 (including grabbing 21 offensive rebounds), win the turnover column by 13, and earn seven more free throw attempts. This meant that the Clippers’ late-game push, during which they cut the deficit to 11 at multiple points, was way too little, way too late.

Notes

The Two Lone Bright Spots: The rest of these notes will be deeply painful, but let’s start with two positive things to highlight: Amir Coffey and Ivica Zubac played pretty well. Amir was a team-leading +13 in his 26 minutes, scoring 8 points and going 6/6 from the free throw line. Although he shot poorly (1/5 from the field), Amir defended well and brought an overall maturity to the floor, whereas the rest of the team was either skittish or spaced-out. Zubac, for his part, had 10 points, 14 rebounds, and a career-high 7 blocks.

Norm Powell’s Struggles: Norm finished the game with seven points (3/10 from the field and 0/5 from three) and four turnovers. He was -20 in his 30 minutes. But, even more concerning, he looked lost—again. Although his role has been changed multiple times since preseason, his own decision making has been suspect. In the Clippers’ first four games, he is averaging more turnovers (3.25) than assists (1.4) and does not seem to fit into the offensive flow (to be fair, the Clippers do not have much of an offensive flow at all). His defense has also been bad.

The Worst Offense in the League: Before listing the problems with this Clippers offense, yes: Kawhi has missed two games, Morris and PG missed Tuesday’s game, and Kawhi, when he plays, has not played much. But, all summer, everyone celebrated how deep this team is. Well, the offensive numbers so far suggest that depth is not a silver bullet.

First, the Clippers are averaging a league-worst 100.8 points per game.

Second, the Clippers are averaging over 17 turnovers a game, which puts them in the bottom four, if not worse.

Third, the three point shooting—once the Clippers’ superpower—has been a liability, as the Clippers have shot under 33% through four games.

What’s worse, the treatment required for this offensive anemia is more consistency in terms of rotations—and that won’t be available for the foreseeable future. Kawhi will be coming off the bench and under a minutes restrictions until further notice, and the schedule may require this older roster to continue to rest players.

Finally, Rest in Peace to Marcus Morris’ father: Thursday, Marcus tweeted “Love you Pops. R.I.P. OG.” Although it has not been formally announced, it seems safe to assume this is why Marcus is “out” for personal reasons. Regardless, we at 213Hoops send our prayers to Marcus and his family during this time of grieving.

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