Kawhi Leonard 'very concerned' with Clippers lack of consistency
The Clippers have not played great basketball for the past month.
The team has lost 5 out of the last 7 games and has been on the receiving end of two embarrassing 30 point blowouts against inferior teams in the last 7 games. Kawhi Leonard isn't happy with this level of consistency from the Clippers.
"Very concerned," Leonard said. "If we want to have a chance at anything, we got to be consistent. That's what the great teams do, they're consistent."
Leonard was one of the only bright spots for the Clippers in their embarrassing blowout against the New Orleans Pelicans. He put up: 23 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, on 9/13 FGs. Despite his great play, the Clippers just didn't play any defense. As a team, the Pelicans shot 65% from the field, 46% from three, and 81% from the free-throw line, on 38 assists.
"We pretty much knew they were a paint team," Leonard said. "It's just about getting back. I didn't feel like we got back in transition early and it led to layups and dunks. I guess our mind wasn't there."
The Clippers don't have much time to recover from this bad game. They face a Dallas Mavericks team that's won 11 out of 14 games, in a back-to-back, tomorrow. To make matters worse, the Clippers may be without both Serge Ibaka and Patrick Beverley. The last time the Clippers faced the Mavericks, they lost by 51 points, and that was when the Mavericks were struggling too.
"If we play like this tomorrow, it's going to be another 50 point loss," head coach Ty Lue said.
It's hard to tell what the narrative around the Clipper team is. At the beginning of the season, it was about their ball movement and phenomenal three-point shooting. During the middle of the season, it was about how great they were when both Kawhi Leonard and Paul George have played. They're 2-3 in the last five when both have played, so what is it now? They have a chance to change that narrative again tomorrow, as they face a red-hot Mavericks team. It's a game the Clippers should have an extra level of pride in.
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