Clippers lose to Pacers, end eight-game trip with 4-4 record

Another day.

Another day was left earlier than the Clippers might slip into their comfy sheets of their dwelling mattress, hug their family members, bask for a couple of days within the heat of the Los Angeles solar.

They have been on the street for 2 weeks, spending days of their lives within the sky. Positive, there was a enjoyable novelty within the workforce dinners and resort hangouts, and sharpshooting wing Luke Kennard sprinting up and down their aircraft’s aisle to dole out high-fives after his Cincinnati Bengals superior to the Tremendous Bowl, however everybody was pondering of getting again dwelling, coach Tyronn Lue mentioned.

First, that they had yet one more recreation to play, the decimated Indiana Pacers standing of their manner after a contest in Charlotte the earlier afternoon.

“It’s going to be onerous, it’s going to be robust — we perceive it’s eight video games in 14 days,” Lue mentioned earlier than the sport Monday in Indianapolis. “However this can be a large recreation for us, so we’ve received to be able to go.”

Lue was proper; this one was robust. The Clippers got here out of the locker room on Monday trying like a workforce in want of a sizzling tub and some leg massages. For a minute, it seemed like they’d pull off one other signature comeback, chopping a 12-point result in three with simply three minutes left — however the gasoline tank was empty, and Indiana pulled away within the closing minutes to safe a 122-116 victory.

The loss, which dropped the Clippers’ report to 4-4 on the journey, carried a particular sting as a result of the Pacers have been lacking arguably their three high gamers in All-Star massive man Domantas Sabonis, regular guard Malcolm Brogdon and shot-blocking middle Myles Turner.

Regardless of their opponents’ depleted roster, Los Angeles seemed a step sluggish defensively for a lot of the primary half, giving up 60 factors to the Pacers by way of the 2 quarters after holding the Hornets to simply 90 factors on Sunday.

The absence of middle Ivica Zubac actually didn’t assist — a participant who’d missed all of 4 video games over the earlier three seasons mixed — because the Pacers’ Caris LeVert darted into the lane to loft gentle floaters over outstretched arms. Defenders like Terance Mann have been taking part in too tight on LeVert with out a lot assist coming within the pick-and-roll units. The explosive guard discovered open lanes to the rim time and time once more to tally 14 first-half factors.

Within the second half, Lue made a key adjustment, blitzing LeVert out of the pick-and-roll performs and forcing him to be a playmaker. It labored and the Clippers constructed an eight-point lead, 80-72, late within the third quarter, however a flurry of Duane Washington Jr. three-pointers within the fourth prolonged the Pacers’ lead.

Amir Coffey completed with 27 factors on nine-of-14 taking pictures, and Reggie Jackson carried the Clippers within the second half with a pair well timed threes and 21 whole factors. However in the long run, it wasn’t sufficient.

Evans reported from Los Angeles.

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