On Tuesday, the LA Clippers were looking to bounce back from three defeats in a row. They were up against a struggling Phoenix side with a massive 19-point lead heading into the fourth and final quarter of the game. Everything was looking great, with the Clippers finally within touching distance of snapping the losing streak. Until everything just collapsed in the last quarter! The Clippers just couldn’t see the game through and were simply outplayed by the Suns, 43-22 in the final quarter.

Kevin Durant’s 34-point effort was too much to handle for Ty Lue and his men, as Phoenix squeezed out a narrow 119-117 win. Big man Ivica Zubac’s 35 points and 10 rebounds and veteran James Harden’s 15 assists were not enough for LA. After the game, the Clippers HC had some stern words for his team. However, he also gave an important update regarding superstar Kawhi Leonard. With LA playing a second leg of back-to-back games against Detroit tonight, “Kawhi will be out for sure. I don’t know about everybody else yet.” Stated Ty Lue.

The Clippers HC ruled out Leonard from playing on two consecutive nights. So far, ‘The Klaw’ has just suited up for 20 out of the 61 games the Clippers have played so far. This comes as an unfortunate result of his long battle with injuries. The 33-year-old’s 2023-24 season was cut short due to a knee injury.  Since then, that knee issue has haunted him keeping him sidelined for several games and not allowing him to play back-to-back. Kawhi has been “battling chronic knee soreness and inflammation for months.” As per The Athletic.

Despite this Kawhi Leonard is trying to get back into shape and help his team. So far, the Clippers forward is averaging 18.1 points, 5 rebounds, and 2.7 assists. Seeing this, his absence from the Pistons game will certainly not help LA’s cause. While this matchup would have been an easy win for the Clippers last year. However, they find themselves in a concerning position with a poor 32-29 record, in fact, their record is worse than the Pistons. Amid this poor form, some concerns have emerged from the Clippers locker room.

“Don’t do dumb sh*t.”: Clippers HC Ty Lue issues stern warning to his team after Suns loss

The Clippers are in a tough spot. The LA-based team is currently the ninth seed in the Western Conference and occupies a precious play-in spot. However, that might not last much longer! They are closely followed by teams such as the Suns and Mavericks. So, they cannot afford to get complacent, otherwise, they might have to pay a massive price. However, they did get complacent against the same Phoenix team that’s eyeing their spot on the table. Naturally, their head coach wasn’t impressed by his team throwing away a 19-point lead.

After the loss, Ty Lue made his feelings very clear. “Just play through the game, play the game the right way. Whatever works, whatever the defense gives you take it and not force, not do dumb shi*t.” This was the message from the Clippers HC. This comes out of the frustration of losing four straight games with a ticket to the postseason on the line. Earlier this week Ty Lue also mentioned that so many injuries such as to Kawhi Leonard and Norman Powell two of their key players are taking a toll on the rest of the team.

Especially, James Harden, who has been a lone warrior this season. Harden has just missed three games this season which is quite commendable. But, unfortunately, he hasn’t had much help due to injuries. However, that’s not in their hands, and will have to make the most of what they’ve got. Defense is an area they must improve upon and not allow their opposition to score easily. The Clippers will have to take this defeat as a lesson and stay afloat until Leonard and Powell return.