Another game, another night of poor defense for the LA Clippers. Despite forcing the Pelicans to 23 turnovers, Los Angeles allowed the Pelicans to shoot 53% from the field. Cousins & Davis combined for a stat line of 60 points & 25 rebounds. LA was led by Blake Griffin who put up 26 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists, but on 9/27 (33%) shooting. Despite the Clippers struggling from the field as a team (40%), they managed to stay within striking distance the entire game. Ultimately, the Clippers lost this game as a result of being unable to contain the glass, and poor defense.
Failing to Rebound
Prior to the game I stated the Clippers needed to contain the glass in order to win this game. Unfortunately Los Angeles allowed themselves to be outrebounded 51-37. That’s simply unacceptable when you’re going against team comprising of Anthony Davis & Demarcus Cousins. The Clippers allowed the Pelicans to get easy second chance points, and failed to get crucial offensive rebounds.
Poor Defense
You simply can’t win a game when you allow the opposing team to shoot 53% from the field. The Clippers had good hustle to force turnovers, but their defense wasn’t there to contest any shots. Take a look at E’Twaun Moore’s highlight’s from the game, he’s largely uncontested on all of his shots.
1⃣8⃣ points. 4⃣ boards.
Have yourself a night, @ETwaun55! #DoItBig https://t.co/wMbFX78rHC
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) November 12, 2017
Los Angeles was incredibly slow on defense, and couldn’t defend without fouling.
The Final Clip: Every game seems to be the same story during this losing streak. Los Angeles hasn’t had a game where they had good ball movement & good defense since they played Dallas. Something truly needs to change, because the mistakes are not being fixed.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!