Team Struggles at the Finish

The Clippers, who squandered a 14-point third-quarter lead in a loss to Dallas on Tuesday, have been outscored, 104-66, in the fourth quarter of their last four games.

They squandered a seven-point fourth-quarter lead in an 89-80 loss at New York last Saturday.

“There’s no explanation for our production at the offensive end,” Coach Bill Fitch said after the loss to the Mavericks. “In the first half we took the ball inside and executed fairly well. In the second half we got impatient, guys missed assignments, and we missed layups.”