Clippers are persistent in saying they have to, and can, improve their play

Stop them if you’ve heard this before.

The Clippers had intentions of improving their play after the All-Star break, but they are 1-3 since then. They had intentions of playing better defense after the break, but they have given up more than 100 points in each loss.

Despite their best intentions of playing better basketball down the stretch of the regular season, that clearly hasn’t been the case. They had these hopes of playing on the same level as Golden State, San Antonio and Houston, but the Clippers have lost to the top three teams in the Western Conference after the break.

And then when the Clippers are defeated, they stick to the same old “we have to be better” verse.

“We are better,” Clippers Coach Doc Rivers said after his team lost by 19 points to the Rockets on Wednesday night. “I keep saying that. But we didn’t do it tonight. We have to be a better team. We will be a better team.”

To be fair, the Clippers have had Chris Paul back for only three of those games after he was sidelined for five weeks while recovering from surgery to repair a ligament in his left thumb.

And to be fair, the Clippers aren’t in crisis mode with 22 regular-season games left.

But with back-to-back games at Milwaukee on Friday night and at Chicago on Saturday night, the Clippers have to be concerned with how they have played.

“I mean, I guess,” Paul said. “I don’t know. We just got to win games. I think the concern probably is our energy. Know what I mean? It’s something that should never be up for question. And we just got to play better.”

And what’s that going to take?

“First and foremost, defense,” Paul responded. “You know what I mean? Especially tonight [against Houston]. The other games [against the Warriors and Spurs], it is what it is.”

Blake Griffin stuck to the “we just need to be better” message the Clippers always deliver after they lose.

But Griffin also analyzed the defeats to the Warriors, Spurs and Rockets.

“There are different things in each game,” he said. “I don’t think you can treat each game the same. It’s different mistakes. I would say not being fully healthy against Golden State hurts. San Antonio, a couple of things down the stretch. This game [against Houston], it’s what I just said. So we got to be better. It’s not one thing that will change that’s going to win all those games. We’ve got to be better in a lot of different areas.”

When the Clippers lose, they also talk about not trusting the offense enough.

Usually that means the basketball stays on one side of the floor, the spacing is poor and there is too much individual play.

Rivers said that has to change, and he knows how.

“Drill it. Teach it. Preach it. Sub it,” Rivers said.

So does that mean substituting those players who don’t follow the game plan?

“Yeah,” Rivers said, “because we’ve got to get back to trusting.”

broderick.turner@latimes.com

Twitter: @BA_Turner