Same old, same old: Turnovers, missed 3s sink Clippers in road loss

18 miscues. 24% three-point shooting. And another loss.

(Photo credit: Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images)

LOS ANGELES -- Seen one, seen ‘em all.

Nearly every LA Clippers loss this season—and there have been 27 of them following Friday’s devastating defeat—has followed a similar pattern.

The Clippers, despite their defensive exploits and hustle and gumption and nonstop motor, cannot stop turning the ball over at a prodigious rate.

Coupled with the lack of real floor spacing and shooting, it’s led to a plethora of tough nights—evenings that could have easily ended as wins if either problem had resolved itself.

But 59 games into the season, the Clippers are who they are—an old, turnover-prone team that has real issues with scoring the ball, especially on three-pointers.

Those issues were laid out there for the world to see on Friday night as their crosstown rivals, the Los Angeles Lakers, toppled them by a 106-102 score.

“Missed shots. Turnovers, obviously,” Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard pointed to when asked postgame what he attributed the loss to.

Leonard finished with 21 points but was just 2-of-7 from the field in the fourth quarter while also sinking just one of three free throw attempts in the frame.

The forward ended the night going a paltry 2-of-6 at the charity stripe, his worst-ever game when attempting at least six free throws. Leonard did play a season-high 37:43, showing he’s nearing the point where a minute restriction is no longer on the table.