Clippers Stuck in Ugly Reverse

A troubling situation has emerged for the Clippers, who suddenly aren’t the upbeat bunch they were days ago.

The team that had pushed for marquee status with a stirring start is struggling to regain its groove, which definitely didn’t return Wednesday night in a 102-89 loss to the New Orleans Hornets at the Ford Center.

The Clippers have lost three in a row for the first time this season -- and their swagger in the process -- dropping games on consecutive nights during a disappointing two-game trip that followed a 4-1 homestand.

And the Clippers acknowledged that the Hornets played harder, the most troubling development of many for a team that prides itself on giving maximum effort. Even the season debut of second-year point guard Shaun Livingston, sidelined the first 21 games because of a stress reaction in his lower back, wasn’t a significant boost.

The Clippers said they’re in a funk that’s lasting too long, and it’s time for change.

“This is the first time this season that we didn’t play hard,” said point guard Sam Cassell, who scored a team-high 26 points and had six of the Clippers’ eight assists.

“They played harder, they initiated the contact earlier and we were on our heels all day long. I got a technical foul just to try to mix it up, change the momentum of the game and show these guys we’ve got to play tough.

“We can’t afford to allow ourselves to be hit. We’ve got to hit first. We’ve got to get our swagger back.”

The Clippers (14-8) had hoped to bounce back a night after a 95-87 overtime loss to the San Antonio Spurs.

Players said they were encouraged about many aspects of their performance against the NBA champion Spurs, and that a victory against the Hornets would provide a boost before returning to Staples Center.

The Hornets, who relocated to Oklahoma City because of Hurricane Katrina, seemed to provide a good fit for the Clippers to achieve their goal.

They had lost five in a row before defeating the Phoenix Suns in their previous game, but they appeared sharp against the Clippers.

Rookie point guard Chris Paul penetrated the Clipper defense throughout and found teammates for uncontested shots. The former Wake Forest All-American finished with only 13 points and eight assists, but he dominated the game with his ballhandling and speed.

“Dribble penetration,” Cassell said. “It was just dribble penetration, and we’ve got to do a better job of letting our [big men] cover up for the penetration and getting out on their shooters.

“But they made shots. J.R. Smith made some deep bombs off the move. He’s making ‘em right now. He made ‘em that last game against Phoenix and he made ‘em again tonight.”

Smith scored 21 points to lead six Hornets in double figures. The shooting guard made six three-point shots in 10 attempts.

Forward David West was a force inside with 20 points and 12 rebounds. Elton Brand had 22 points for the Clippers, but only three after halftime.

“They got a lot of good looks as far as shots,” Clipper Coach Mike Dunleavy said. “And some of our turnovers and things that we did contributed.

“Their guards pressured us the whole way offensively by pushing the ball, they had us back on our heels most of the night. We didn’t respond.”

The Clippers did for a stretch in the fourth quarter, but they didn’t do enough.

Trailing , 91-70, with 8:44 remaining in the game, the Clippers went on a 17-4 run (Cassell scored eight points) to pull within 95-87 on Cuttino Mobley’s three-pointer at the 3:22 mark.

But Mobley then missed a shot from behind the arc that would have cut the lead to five, and West scored after grabbing an offensive rebound to put the Hornets ahead, 97-87, with 1:47 to play.

“I got a clean look, it just came in and out,” said Mobley, who scored 16 points and received fluids intravenously for flu-like symptoms.

“The thing was that they just played a lot harder than we did. We just can’t make it a four-game losing streak. You can’t dwell on it, because if you dwell on it four becomes five and five becomes six.

“So, yeah, it’s a situation that we’re in. I’ve been in them before with other teams. It’s something we can correct. I just don’t want people to lose faith in us.”