At least this Clippers loss doesn’t count

The preseason is not the time to worry about implications, no matter what the numbers or the record says.

Chris Paul once played for the New Orleans Hornets when they lost seven of eight exhibition games. The same team then won 11 of 12 games to begin the season that counted.

The Clippers haven’t exactly looked like NBA title contenders in the preseason, which may or may not portend bad things once the regular season begins Oct. 30. It’s impossible to know.

It is fair to say their recent struggles continued Saturday night at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, a 104-93 exhibition loss to the Denver Nuggets dropping them to 1-4 in the preseason.

The Clippers were largely outhustled and lacked the intensity they showed the previous night against the Utah Jazz.

They also gave up triple digits in points for the fourth time in five games and have been outrebounded in every game.

Blake Griffin scored 27 points and Jamal Crawford had 23, but they received a little help from their friends. Just a little. Paul (13 points) was the only other Clipper to score in double figures.

Crawford, starting in place of the resting J.J. Redick, made his first six shots on the way to 16 first-half points and was a nuisance to the Nuggets on the other end of the court as well.

Clippers forward Matt Barnes’ shooting woes continued, as he missed all nine shots, including six three-pointers. Unfortunately, an effort play he made in the first quarter when he dived toward the baseline to tap a ball going out of bounds to Crawford did not appear in the box score.

Clippers small forward Joe Ingles, making his first start of the preseason, was involved in another highlight play late in the second quarter, when he faked a lob and then found Griffin for a one-handed dunk. Ingles, a training camp invitee who is trying to secure the Clippers’ final roster spot, missed both of his shots but finished with three points and three rebounds in 19 minutes.