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Paul George and the LA Clippers suffered a 110-93 blowout home loss to the shorthanded Atlanta Hawks on Sunday. The disappointing outing left the nine-time All-Star concerned about the Clippers’ lack of identity ahead of the playoffs.
Despite George and his co-star Kawhi Leonard combining for 54 points, LA trailed most of the contest, as no other Clipper reached double-figure scoring.
Atlanta pulled away in the second quarter, outscoring LA 30-15 to secure a 61-44 halftime edge. The Hawks later stretched their lead to 29 points before the Clippers rallied in garbage time to finish within 17.
Atlanta received multiple standout performances in the surprise victory, led by star combo guard Dejounte Murray. The former All-Star recorded 21 points, 10 assists and five 3-pointers on 50.0% shooting.
Power forward Jalen Johnson also made an all-around impact, finishing with 18 points, 12 rebounds, six assists, three steals and three 3-pointers on 50.0% shooting.
Meanwhile, small forward De'Andre Hunter added 20 points on 61.5% shooting as the Hawks had their way offensively.
After LA appeared disengaged most of the night, George was asked whether his squad is a “flip-the-switch team.” The 33-year-old concurred, noting that the Clippers’ effort fluctuates from game to game.
“That's what we're appearing to look like, which is not good,” George said, per Clippers insider Farbod Esnaashari. “We want to be consistent. ... Right now, I don't think we have an identity.”
Following a dominant midseason run, LA (42-25) is stumbling to the finish line, losing four of its last five games. During that stretch, it has the NBA’s fourth-worst defensive rating (121.8).
Despite their recent struggles, the Clippers remain fourth in the Western Conference. However, they only have a 1.0-game advantage over the fifth-seeded New Orleans Pelicans (41-26) with 15 games remaining.
So, if LA doesn’t start locking in defensively, it could relinquish homecourt advantage for the first round of the playoffs.
Also Read: 9x All-Star Paul George reveals toughest player to score on in NBA
Ty Lue echoes Paul George’s concerns about Clippers’ mindset following letdown against Hawks
Like Paul George, Clippers coach Ty Lue called out LA following Sunday’s loss to Atlanta. Lue cautioned his team about the ramifications of not taking care of business against lesser opponents.
“If you don’t play hard and compete and you don’t take care of things you need to take care of on a nightly basis, you can lose,” Lue said. “And so tonight was one of those nights.”
Apart from being shorthanded, the Hawks (30-37) entered Sunday on a three-game losing streak, making the Clippers heavy favorites at home. So, they let a prime opportunity to get back on track slip through their fingertips.
Fortunately for LA, its next two contests are against the struggling Portland Trail Blazers (19-48) on Wednesday and Friday. So, if the team learns from Sunday’s letdown, it should win both road matchups.
As for the Hawks, they will look to pick up another win in LA against the Lakers (36-32) on Monday.
Guess the Lakers players!
