INGLEWOOD — Since the trade deadline, Clippers coach Tyronn Lue has had to adjust his lineup to keep from sinking in the standings, a task made more difficult without former starters James Harden and Ivica Zubac. Harden was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers, while Zubac was sent to the Indiana Pacers.
But even with the tweaking and fine-tuning, some games are just lost on last-second shots or misses, no matter how well the pieces fit.
The Clippers lost a second consecutive game after missing a 3-point attempt in the waning seconds, this time resulting in a 111-109 defeat against the Orlando Magic on Sunday night at the Intuit Dome.
Guard Bennedict Mathurin’s 3-point attempt from 25 feet hit the back of the rim and bounced out at the buzzer, dropping the Clippers to 27-30 and back into 10th place in the Western Conference. They are 4-4 since the trade deadline.
“Man, I’ve been thinking about this the whole time (while getting dressed), but it was a great shot,” said Mathurin, who was acquired from Indiana in the Zubac trade. “You know what I’m saying? It was great to have that experience. Obviously, I wish I would’ve made that shot, but there’s nothing I can do other than work on it more to make myself feel better about it.”
In a game that was tight throughout, Kawhi Leonard gave the Clippers a 107-105 lead with 3:03 remaining on a jumper from the top of the key. The Magic took charge from there as Desmond Bane hit a jumper to tie the score and took a 109-107 lead on a goaltending call against Clippers rookie center Yanic Konan Niederhauser with 1:26 remaining. They stretched their lead to 111-107 when Paolo Banchero grabbed the rebound off a miss by Niederhauser and drove the length of the court for a layup with 40 seconds left.
Leonard trimmed the lead to 111-109 on a fadeaway jumper at the 28-second mark, and Niederhauser came up with a big blocked shot with eight seconds left, giving the Clippers a slim hope of a victory. But Mathurin couldn’t connect, much like Nicolas Batum’s failed 3-point attempt with no time left in a loss to the Lakers on Friday night.
Leonard quickly approached Mathurin to offer encouraging words.
“It means a lot, man. He’s obviously, in my opinion, one of the greatest players to ever play the game, so just to have him come and showing love and showing support,” Mathurin said. “You know what, there’s many more ahead of me, so, for a guy that’s made a lot of those shots, it was great to see.”
Lue, too, offered solace after watching Mathurin’s shot miss its mark.
“He had a good shot at the end and he didn’t make it, but it’s not a big deal,” Lue said. “It’s not his fault. He missed the shot, but he got a good look and he missed it. So, our guys went to just tell him it’s okay.”
Once again, Leonard carried the bulk of the scoring with 37 points on 14-of-25 shooting, despite having to fight through double-teams. He scored 30 through the first three quarters and finished with eight rebounds and four assists, two nights after leaving the Lakers game because of a sore left ankle.
With his second 3-pointer in the third quarter, Leonard moved past Jamal Crawford for fourth place on the Clippers’ all-time franchise list with 663.
Mathurin, the Clippers’ second scoring option, supported Leonard’s effort with 21 points, including a 14-foot turnaround jumper at the buzzer that gave the Clippers an 89-88 lead at the end of the third quarter. He added two free throws for a 91-88 lead to start the fourth.
It was his third consecutive game with 20 or more points for the Clippers, none of which surprises Lue. It’s what the coach wants to see from the athletic guard. Mathurin shot 7 for 16 from the field and 4 for 5 from the free-throw line to go along with nine rebounds and five assists.
Jordan Miller added 14 points, and Brook Lopez scored 10 as the only other Clippers in double figures.
“I think that people are still adjusting to a lot of changes, especially me and some of the guys as well,” Mathurin said. “So, players on the team have bigger roles and are in different situations.”
Lue had to juggle his starting lineup again on Sunday after forward John Collins sat out after slamming his head on the court after being fouled by the Lakers’ Jaxson Hayes in Friday’s loss. He suffered a gash above his left eyebrow that required six stitches, but Lue said he didn’t suffer a concussion.
Without Collins, Lue had several options to start in his place – Nicolas Batum, Miller and Mathurin, who have been thriving off the bench. Lue tabbed rookie Kobe Sanders, who went from being out of the rotation to a starter.
The Clippers’ offense stalled at times in the first half, and they trailed 57-53 at the intermission on a night when they finished 5 for 23 from 3-point range.
Bane had 18 first-half points and finished with 36 points on 13-of-19 shooting. Banchero finished with 16 points, eight assists and seven rebounds, and Wendell Carter Jr. added 15 points and 14 rebounds.
The Magic jumped out to a 13-7 lead and led all but a brief moment in the early going of the first half, quashing any momentum the Clippers tried to establish.
“We get stagnant at times,” Leonard said, adding that the players are still getting used to each other and the offense.
“Some of our offense, just guys are playing a little bit more, but we’ll get back to it,” the two-time NBA Finals MVP said. “Just got to move a little bit with a little bit more pace in the half court, move some bodies around instead of just having everybody, whoever has the ball, just focusing at the top of the key. It’s easy to play defense that way, especially in this league now. So, you got to move the defense and be able to attack guys.”
Guard Kris Dunn said the Clippers can’t afford to linger on the past two losses when there are still 25 regular-season games left.
“If you dwell on this one, then you might as well kick it,” Dunn said. “We got a couple of days to get some practice in, keep working on what we’re trying to improve on and go out there and try.”
