The Los Angeles Clippers are undefeated at home but winless on the road. Los Angeles defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 114-107 on Sunday at home and fell on the road against the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday, 98-79.
Anchored by their strong defense against Portland, the Clippers (2-2) limited the Blazers (2-2) to 37% field-goal shooting and were 55% from the field themselves. The script was flipped Tuesday night as the Clippers struggled to find a spark offensively while the Warriors (4-1) were able to capitalize. Golden State limited Los Angeles to 37% from the field and just 18% from beyond the arc, holding the Clippers to their fewest points scored in a game since 2021.
Forward Kawhi Leonard led the charge against Portland with 30 points and had a strong third quarter against Golden State with 18 points. Point guard James Harden scored 20 points in both games but against the Warriors, he only had one assist. Center Ivica Zubac had a combined 21 rebounds in both games and John Collins was a key contributor on defense.
Los Angeles had an efficient first quarter on both ends of the court against the Trail Blazers.
It was the opposite story on Tuesday night as a slow start offensively for Los Angeles allowed Golden State to control a majority of the first quarter. Despite several open looks, the Clippers struggled from beyond the arc early and were just 2-of-13 from distance. Golden State shot 54% from the field and was 47% from 3-point range in the first frame.
While Los Angeles played a sloppy second quarter against the Blazers, it played its best quarter of the night against the Warriors in the second frame. The Clippers gave up a 17-point turnaround in the second quarter to Portland but were able to find a huge spark on offense against Golden State.
Despite trailing by as much as 15 in the second quarter, Los Angeles’ defense was able to stifle Golden State’s offense and capitalized with a 24-6 run to end the first half. The Clippers led 49-46 against Golden State at halftime. Harden and Leonard combined for 30 points in the first half while the rest of the Clippers were 8-for-28 from the field.
The Clippers did a better job tightening up and finding ways to score offensively in the second half against Portland. Maintaining firm control of the fourth quarter, Los Angeles staved off any attempts at a comeback to secure the win.
But the Clippers’ offense stalled in the second half while Golden State received solid production off the bench and led by as many as 24 points. Unable to find consistent execution, Los Angeles was 38% from the field and 10% from the 3-point line in the second half.
Turnovers have been an issue to begin the year for the Clippers. Against Portland, Los Angeles surrendered the ball 24 times. At Golden State, the Clippers turned the ball over 16 times.
Head coach Tyronn Lue will hope to look toward the bench to aid the starting lineup. The Clippers saw a combined 25 bench points from guard Kris Dunn and Collins against Portland but were unable to find a spark off the bench against the Warriors.
With shooting guard Bradley Beal out for the second straight game, Lue leaned on shooting guard Bogdan Bogdanovic who struggled to contribute with a combined 2 points in both games.
As a team with plenty of new pieces, the Clippers will hope to develop better chemistry and execution moving forward.
Los Angeles begins a three game home stand next, starting with the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday in the first NBA Cup game of the season. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on FanDuel Sports West.