Clippers Collapse Again at Home, Fall to Grizzlies Amid Mounting Frustration
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - There was a flicker of optimism before tip-off. Clippers head coach Ty Lue spoke about signs of progress - tighter defensive rotations, competitive stretches, a team that was starting to show some fight. But once the ball went up Monday night at the Intuit Dome, that hope evaporated quickly.
The Clippers were outplayed from the opening tip and handed a 121-103 loss by the Memphis Grizzlies, a result that felt heavier than the 18-point margin. It was their 12th loss in the last 14 games, and they still haven’t won a home game since Halloween. Now 6-20 on the season, the Clippers are spiraling, and the frustration is starting to show in more ways than one.
After the game, both Kawhi Leonard and James Harden left the locker room without speaking to reporters - a silence that said more than words ever could.
“When It Gets Hard, You Got to Get Tougher”
Lue didn’t sugarcoat things postgame. His message was clear: when adversity hits, this team hasn’t responded with the necessary grit.
“I think mentally, when it gets hard, you got to get tougher,” Lue said. “We can be playing good basketball and a couple of things go wrong and they're like, 'here we go again' instead of having a mindset that we got to get tougher, we got to get stronger and then do things even better.”
That mindset - or lack of it - was on full display Monday night. Memphis controlled the game from start to finish.
The Clippers never led after the first quarter and looked overwhelmed on both ends. Jaren Jackson Jr. carved up their defense, dropping 31 points on 13-of-18 shooting, including 21 in the first half.
The Clippers, meanwhile, coughed up 12 turnovers before halftime, gifting Memphis a 56-48 lead at the break.
Stars Stumble, Then Go Quiet
Leonard finished with 21 points, but it was a quiet 21 - the kind that didn’t shift momentum or ignite a run. Kris Dunn chipped in 17, and Ivica Zubac pulled down 13 rebounds, but the offensive rhythm just wasn’t there.
Harden, who’s been battling a calf injury, was clearly limited. He managed 13 points, six assists, and three rebounds, but lacked his usual burst and explosiveness. He played through it, wrapped lower leg and all, but it was evident he wasn’t himself.
“James wants to play every night,” Lue said. “Just having the mindset to try to gut it out for us was huge.
You could tell he wasn't himself throughout the whole course of the game. We just kept checking on him, kept trying to monitor it.
Just giving him respect for trying to get out there.”
Still, Harden’s effort wasn’t enough to lift a team that’s struggling to find an identity - or any sort of consistency.
A Season Slipping Away
The Clippers’ issues go beyond Xs and Os. The decision by both Leonard and Harden to leave without speaking to the media wasn’t just a postgame routine - it was a reflection of where this team is mentally. There’s tension, there’s frustration, and there’s a growing sense that the season is slipping away fast.
The recent departure of Chris Paul earlier this month - following reported friction between the veteran guard and the organization - only adds to the unease. What started as a promising season has unraveled in dramatic fashion. The Clippers have now lost 18 of their last 21 games.
On the other side, Memphis continues to trend upward. The Grizzlies, now 11-14, got a career-best 27 points from Cam Spencer, and Ja Morant added 12 in just 21 minutes as he works his way back from an ankle injury. This was the third time in less than three weeks that the Grizzlies have beaten the Clippers - and each time, they’ve looked like the more connected, more confident team.
The Clippers briefly grabbed a third-quarter lead on a Dunn three, but Memphis immediately answered with a 9-0 run that slammed the door shut. It was a microcosm of the Clippers’ night - a brief spark extinguished by a team that simply wanted it more.
“We didn’t score the ball, especially at the start of the second quarter,” Lue said. “I thought their size hurt us when they had (Jock) Landale and Jackson in the game together, but I thought we did it to ourselves a couple of times, just not running the right offense.”
Where Do They Go From Here?
With the loss, the Clippers are tied with the Kings for 14th in the Western Conference, sitting just ahead of the 5-22 Pelicans. The road ahead doesn’t offer much relief. Upcoming matchups against the Thunder, Rockets, Lakers, and Kings will test this team’s resolve - and possibly accelerate the urgency for change if things don’t turn around.
The talent on paper is undeniable. But right now, the Clippers are a team without cohesion, without confidence, and - perhaps most concerning - without answers.
There’s still time to salvage something from this season. But if Monday night was any indication, time might be the only thing this team is running out of faster than wins.