Clippers still need to improve defense

Nineteen games into the season and the Clippers are talking about their defense.

Or in this case, their lack of defense.

They gave up 107 points in a loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night, seemingly with ease.

The Clippers didn’t close out on three-point shooters. They didn’t rotate on defense. They gave up layups and dunks.

Simply put, the Clippers were just poor on defense.

“I think we should have it,” Blake Griffin said of defending properly. “I’ve said it over and over, but defense is one of those things that you can really control a lot just by your intensity and being down and ready. And just the willingness to play defense.”

The Clippers are giving up 102.1 points a game, ranking them near the bottom of the NBA’s 30 teams at No. 25.

The Clippers are letting teams make 45.6% of their shots, ranking them 17th in the league.

The Clippers still can score with the best teams in the NBA, averaging a second-best 105.9 points a game.

It’s just that they still seem to have problems getting defensive stops.

“No matter what happens on the offensive end, you can’t let that affect your defense,” Griffin said. “I think good defense is on another level no matter how you’re playing offensive, how the refs are calling the game, how they [opponents] are playing offensively. I think when you’re playing that way, that’s when you develop a defensive identity.”

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