Five takeaways from Clippers' 89-85 loss to Spurs

Five takeaways from Clippers’ 89-85 loss to Spurs

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Clippers power forward Blake Griffin tries to gather a missed shot by teammate Chris Paul (not pictured) in the final seconds of the game against the Spurs. (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

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Clippers point guard Chris Paul calls for a timeout as Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard tries to steal the ball from af allen Blake Griffin.

(Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

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Clippers owner Steve Ballmer gets into the game against the San Antonio Spurs on Monday night. (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

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Spurs point guard Tony Parker flips a shot toward the basket as he tumbles to the court after colliding with Clippers point guard Chris Paul, who was called for a controversial foul on the play in the third quarter. (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

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Clippers point guard Chris Paul (3) and forward Spencer Hawes try to trap Spurs guard Cory Joseph in the first half. (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

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Clippers power forward Blake Griffin drives against Spurs forward Matt Bonner, left, and guard Manu Ginobili (20) in the first half. (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

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Spurs guard Manu Ginobili looks to pass against the defense of Clippers forwards Matt Barnes (22) and Spencer Hawes (10) in the first half. (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

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Spurs forward Boris Diaw drives between Clippers forwards Hedo Turkoglu, left, and Spencer Hawes (10) in the first half. (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

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Spurs power forward Tim Duncan blocks a shot by Clippers power forward Blake Griffin in the first half. (Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)

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Clippers center DeAndre Jordan grabs a rebound from Spurs power forward Tim Duncan in the first half. (Paul Buck / EPA)

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Clippers guard Jared Cunningham tries to score down the lane against Spurs power forward Tim Duncan (21) and guard Danny Green in the first half. (Ringo Chiu / AFP / Getty Images)

By Melissa Rohlin

Nov. 11, 2014 7 AM PT

The Clippers fell to the San Antonio Spurs, 89-85, on Monday evening at Staples Center. Here are five takeaways from the game.

1. The Clippers were terrible down the stretch: L.A. blew a 10-point lead after going scoreless in the fourth quarter from 5:49 until there were 25 seconds left. During that time, the Spurs went on a 12-0 run. The Clippers finished with 17 turnovers to the Spurs’ eight.

2. The Clippers lost despite outshooting the Spurs: Coach Doc Rivers’ team outshot the Spurs, 44.6% to 39.8%, and they held the Spurs to 2 for 19 shooting from beyond the three-point line (10.5%). The Clippers defense looked strong for most of the game, they just had a major offensive lapse in the fourth.

Said Rivers: “We had so many opportunities in transition to score and we kept coming out empty.”

3. Improved rebounding: The Clippers entered Monday’s game having been outrebounded in each of their contests so far this season. They finally bested a team on the boards, outrebounding the Spurs, 44-39.

4. Chris Paul took the game-winning shot, or in this case, game-losing: With 2.9 seconds left and the Clippers down by two, 87-85, Paul attempted a layup but missed. Paul nearly finished with a triple-double with 12 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists, but he also had four turnovers.

5. The Clippers get some rest: Rivers decided to give the players practice off Tuesday and Wednesday. They will practice Thursday and Friday before playing the Phoenix Suns at Staples Center on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

Five takeaways from Clippers’ 89-85 loss to Spurs

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