Media members reportedly heard Smith’s profanity-laden tirade through the wall while waiting for Doc Rivers near the locker room after the game. “You’ve got to come out in the third with the same energy, and that’s very hard to do in this league”.
Advertisement
Forward DeMarre Carroll and guard DeMar DeRozan scored 21 points apiece as the Toronto Raptors posted a 91-80 victory over the struggling Los Angeles Clippers.
They’ve lost their last three games and seven of their last nine and at 6-7 are below. I don’t think anybody is.
“What this game tells me about this team is that we are pretty talented but we have to do it for 48 minutes which is pretty much a constant for every team”, Scola said. I could waste an entire paragraph here, but this seems so obvious we’re going to move on, or I’m going to need a new keyboard.
“But, frustration is to be expected”. Now, they head home having salvaged the challenging Western swing for a 2-3 finish after starting 0-3. DeAndre Jordan had 13 points and 15 rebounds. Smith knew coming into this season that he would be coming off the bench as Blake Griffin’s backup but he likely didn’t expect to be playing so few minutes so that coupled with the Clippers poor start to the season is likely the reason for this verbal altercation.
Chris Paul – “The good thing about it, we’re lucky this isn’t game 80, 81 or 82”. And their three-point shooting (31.3%) ranks 23rd. He’s also turning over the ball at a 2.7-per-game clip compared to 2.3 in a year ago.
Smith, who signed an one-year veteran’s minimum deal, has not yet found his niche, either. He’s shooting 43.6 percent from the field after shooting 48.5 a season ago. Paul Pierce, who started at small forward, had just two points.
On Thursday, they led by 10 points against the undefeated Golden State Warriors with five minutes to play but were outscored, 22-5, the rest of the way. Jamal Crawford and Austin Rivers have been inconsistent. However, the problem with Sunday’s game was that the Clippers had absolutely no sense of intensity, urgency, or general will to compete.
Part of that turnover in the lineup has to do with injuries to Redick and Paul.
“I’m a big believer in continuity, and there are some definite benefits to that”, Redick said.
The Clippers came out hungry in the second half, looking to go on a big run and close the gap.
But the perception that they’ve been a moderate disappointment to this point is misguided.
The Los Angeles Clippers head to the Mile High City where they will take on the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday at 9:00 PM EST as they look to avoid a four-game losing streak.
Advertisement
There are clearly issues in Los Angeles that go beyond the results on the schedule. The Clippers went to halftime trailing by 29 points, their largest deficit of the season, and despite the defensive efforts ramping up in the second half weren’t able to complete the comeback as they dropped their third straight game. The Clippers have used six different starting lineups through 13 games.
