Losses hurt; however, when teams squander substantial leads before they can comprehend what’s happening, such defeats are infuriating for a coach. The Los Angeles Clippers were up 23 points towards the end of the third quarter. From that point onward, the resilient Phoenix Suns, led by Kevin Durant, erased the deficit. The Clippers lost by two points (119-117), marking the third instance in 19 games where Ty Lue’s side failed to maintain a lead exceeding 20 points.

The Suns trailed by 19 entering the fourth but came back strongly, thanks to big buckets from Durant and backup guard Collin Gillespie, who combined for 29 points in the fourth. Phoenix, which won for just the fourth time in the past 15 games, outscored the Clippers 43-22 in the fourth to revive its playoff hopes.

The Clippers led 95-76 to begin the fourth, but Durant scored eight straight points to get the Suns within 11. They continued their surge with Durant making a 3-pointer to pull Phoenix within 102-100 with 6:33 left. The Suns pulled even at 106-all when Durant swished a jumper with 4:18 to go. Phoenix took a 110-108 lead on a Devin Booker layup with 3:02 left – their first lead since the opening minutes of the second quarter. Gillespie drained a wide-open 3 to make it 119-114 with 36.4 seconds left.

Normally, Ty Lue is composed after losses. But the Clippers have been well off course since the All-Star break. Tonight, they let slip a chance to win just their second game since the season resumed. Likewise, the renowned head coach was in no mood to spend time answering questions. But when asked what he felt went wrong, Lue didn’t show any mercy toward his players.

“Just play through the game. Play the game the right way, play through the game. Whatever works, whatever the defense gives you take it and not force and not do dumb s**t. It’s that simple just play through the game that’s all you got to do,” Ty Lue said about where the Clippers could improve this season.

This reaction caught reporters off guard. From a basketball standpoint, Lue’s fuse to tolerate mistakes is high. He thinks those help a team grow and realize their identity. But losing when up 20+ points and breaking down on both ends is not acceptable. So when a reporter asked him how he manages to stay level-headed in such times, Ty Lue admitted his true feelings. “I’m frustrated now so what about that? Yeah, frustrated now but you know it is what it is,” Tyronn Lue said in reaction to the loss.

Ty Lue’s Side keeps falling down

Ty Lue’s anger is fully understandable. Before the All-Star break, the Clippers were a different team altogether. Even when without Kawhi Leonard, they were coordinated and in sync on both ends of the floor. As a team defense, they ranked second, posting a 108.3 defensive rating in their first 54 games. Then the short All-Star break allowed the team to recover and reconvene, this time with The Klaw being a regular in their rotations. That so far has amounted to a 1-6 record. Tonight’s loss, though, stings even the players. Center Ivica Zubac looked drained from the loss.

It was difficult to point out just one thing that the team needs to improve to regain winning momentum. However, Zubac nailed it as far as what’s worsened the most. “Defense man. I think defensively we got to be better. We did pretty good on defense for the first I would say 2 and a half quarters but you know we got to play 48th minutes. I think offensively we were better tonight but we just gave up too much out of the third quarter and beginning of the fourth,” the Clippers center revealed.

From being the second-ranked defense, the Los Angeles Clippers have ranked as the worst since the All-Star break. They have a defensive rating of 118.8 in those seven games. It’s worse than the last ranked defense from before the All-Star break. Tonight, their defensive breakdown allowed the Suns to score 43 fourth-quarter points.

That’s the most points they have conceded in the fourth quarter all season. But being awful on the defensive end doesn’t help melt away a 23-point lead. Offensively, the Clippers were equally as preposterous. They scored just 22 points, shooting 30% from the field, cramping themselves in the process.

Several things need to change. Or rather, the Clippers just need to find their cohesion once again. Such moments of lapses have led them to fall below the sixth seed and in the Play-In Picture. A string of wins, something the team is capable of, could help rejuvenate their confidence and also step out of their rut.