Tight but Losing Finishes Make for a Deceptive Record

After 31 games, the Clippers sit last in the Western Conference but their 10-21 record is not a good indicator of how they’ve played.

The Clippers’ biggest problem has been closing games. They’ve found more ways to lose tight finishes than the Democratic Party. They’ve lost 14 games in which they have blown a lead in the fourth quarter or rallied from a double-digit deficit only to fall short down the stretch.

The Clippers have lost all five of their overtime games, including Saturday’s two-point loss to the Lakers at Staples Center.

“They played well,” Laker center Shaquille O’Neal said about the Clippers’ effort. “They played hard and they hit their shots.”

Kind words but something the Clippers have heard too much of this season. A quick rundown of some of their close losses:

* Nov. 2: Lost to Vancouver, 99-91. Cut a 20-point third-quarter deficit to five points in the fourth quarter.

* Nov. 5: Lost to Lakers, 108-103. Led by three points heading into the fourth quarter.

* Nov. 8: Lost to Utah, 93-87, in overtime. Led by as many as five points in the fourth.

* Nov. 18: Lost to Seattle, 86-83. Rallied from seven-point deficit in the final five minutes only to miss game-tying three-point shot at the buzzer.

* Nov. 20: Lost to New Jersey, 86-85. Came back from 10-point fourth-quarter deficit.

* Nov. 25: Lost to Phoenix, 95-89, in overtime. Rallied from 18-point second-half deficit.

* Dec. 1: Lost at Toronto, 104-95, in overtime. Blew nine-point lead in final 1:22 of regulation.

* Dec. 13: Lost to Miami, 94-88, in overtime. Rallied from 14-point third-quarter deficit.

* Dec. 26: Lost at Denver, 109-108. Blew seven-point lead in final 3:21 of regulation.

* Saturday: Lost to Lakers, 116-114. Led by three with 1:20 remaining in overtime.

“We’re playing good basketball right now, we’re right there in every game,” veteran Eric Piatkowski said. “When we get over the hump, we’ll be winning a lot of games.”

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The Clippers did not practice Sunday but will work out today. Starting with Tuesday’s game against Toronto, the Clippers will play four of their next six games at home.

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Through 30 games, the Clippers were the second-best rebounding team in the NBA even though they did not have a player ranked in the top 27. The Clippers averaged 45.43 rebounds with Lamar Odom grabbing a team-high 7.8 a game, which placed him 28th. Center Michael Olowokandi was second at 6.1 a game followed by power forward Brian Skinner’s 5.3.