Something seems to have changed within the Clippers.
They appear to have lost some of the chemistry and energy that put them on solid footing to start this season and in position to avoid the play-in tournament in the congested Western Conference. With a handful of new faces and minor injuries, they recently lost three games in a row for the second time this month and have picked up only one win in February against a team other than the Utah Jazz.
Gratefully, that skid ended with Wednesday’s much-needed victory against the Chicago Bulls, the first game in 26 days in which the Clippers never trailed by double digits.
“We had to win a game going back home,” Clippers star James Harden said in an on-court interview.
The Clippers have a chance to start another winning streak Friday when they face the red-hot Lakers in the first of two consecutive games at Crypto.com Arena.
So what changed? For starters, Kawhi Leonard’s highly anticipated return from knee issues on Jan. 4 disrupted Coach Tyronn Lue’s rotation and the in-game flow the rest of the Clippers had developed in the season’s first 34 games. Suddenly, the team had to solve the complexities of how to integrate the future Hall of Famer while handcuffed by his limited minutes.
Leonard had not played since their first-round playoff series against the Dallas Mavericks last April and seeing him back on the court was cause for celebration for the Clippers and their fans.
At the time, Lue emphasized the need for caution and tamped down expectations by likening Leonard’s first several games to a preseason, maybe even a training camp. Lue said it would be a slow process.
Yet, the difference in the Clippers before and after Leonard’s return can’t be placed solely on the oft-injured star. In 16 games, he is averaging 16.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.1 steals. He missed two games this week because of a foot injury but came back to post 17 points on 6-of-14 shooting, eight rebounds, four assists and four steals in 33 minutes against the Bulls.
“I thought Kawhi was good,” Lue told reporters in Chicago. “Couldn’t really get into a real flow because of all the zone they play, but overall, I thought he did a pretty good job.”
Injuries took some of the shine off the first two months, causing Lue to juggle his lineups.
Harden missed one game because of a foot injury and Kris Dunn sat out eight games with a sore knee. Norman Powell is expected back for Friday’s game against the Lakers after missing four games because of patellar tendinopathy.
Then came the trade deadline, when the Clippers dealt fan favorite and reliable bench player Terance Mann, along with Bones Hyland, to Atlanta for guard Bogdan Bogdanovic, and acquired veterans Drew Eubanks and Patty Mills in exchange for P.J. Tucker and Mo Bamba.
They signed versatile point guard Ben Simmons as a free agent and added shooting guard MarJon Beauchamp in a trade that sent Kevin Porter Jr. to the Milwaukee Bucks. Porter had earned a stable spot with the Clippers’ second unit.
The Clippers (32-26) have 24 regular-season games to regain their health, chemistry and spark before worrying about the playoffs.
CLIPPERS AT LAKERS
When: Friday, 7 p.m.
Where: Crypto.com Arena
TV/radio: ESPN, FDSN SoCal, Spectrum SportsNet, 570 AM, 710 AM