Clippers Break Down 97-92 Loss

Although still not among the NBA’s elite, the Clippers say they’ve never been closer to the top.

And that explained their frustration Sunday afternoon after a 97-92 loss to the Indiana Pacers at Staples Center.

The Pacers aspire to win the Eastern Conference championship this season, and the Clippers expected to defeat them and extend their home winning streak.

It didn’t happen.

The Clippers (9-4) suffered their second consecutive loss -- and their first of the season at Staples Center -- but they said a talent disparity wasn’t the problem.

“This is a game we’re supposed to win,” said forward Corey Maggette, who made two costly mistakes as the Clippers tried to rally in the final minute.

“I don’t think Indiana is a better team than us. They just executed better than us.”

That’s becoming a troubling trend for the Clippers.

Coach Mike Dunleavy criticized the Clippers for their execution on offense in Friday’s 105-95 loss to the Denver Nuggets, and Dunleavy had plenty to examine in film sessions after Sunday’s performance against Indiana (8-4).

Again, execution wasn’t a Clipper strong point, but the team’s rebounding and confusion on defense frustrated Dunleavy most.

“We lost this game because of mental toughness, as far as I’m concerned,” he said. “We didn’t deserve to win.”

The Pacers had 13 offensive rebounds and 18 second-chance points compared with five and 10 for the Clippers. The Pacers’ strong rebounding helped to offset 40.5% shooting.

The Clippers outrebounded the Pacers, 44-42, but failed at critical moments in the fourth quarter.

“What killed us was their offensive rebounds,” said center Chris Kaman, who had 18 points and 12 rebounds in his most productive game this season.

“They had 84 shots to 70 for us. Fourteen more. That’s tough.”

On defense, the Clippers botched many coverages in the second half. After taking a 54-47 halftime lead, the Clippers were outscored, 26-16, in the third quarter and trailed, 73-70, beginning the fourth.

Forward Ron Artest, who finished with a team-high 22 points, scored nine consecutive points for the Pacers during one stretch.

Indiana forward Austin Croshere was even better in the final quarter.

Croshere scored 12 of his 17 points and grabbed three offensive rebounds in the fourth.

The Clippers, who trailed, 92-82, with 5:03 left, cut their deficit to two, at 92-90, with 1:07 left on Cuttino Mobley’s jump shot.

Point guard Sam Cassell fouled Indiana’s Jamaal Tinsley, who made two free throws to extend the lead to 94-90 with 58.9 seconds left, and Mobley made another jump shot with 49.7 seconds left, putting the deficit at 94-92.

“We got some good stops once we decided to play defense,” said forward Elton Brand, who with 22 points and 10 rebounds had his seventh consecutive double-double.

“But we just didn’t gather up the ball. We didn’t box out.”

And the Pacers rebounded well.

Forward-center Jermaine O’Neal, who had 16 points and 13 rebounds, grabbed Stephen Jackson’s missed shot from beyond the arc with 29.9 seconds left. After an Indiana timeout, Croshere rushed in to grab Tinsley’s miss off a jump shot as Maggette, who ran to help Kaman on Tinsley, missed his box-out assignment.

Maggette fouled Croshere, who made two free throws to push the lead to four, at 96-92, with 4.2 seconds left.

Maggette, who had 15 points and five turnovers, made another mistake on the Clippers’ final possession, throwing the ball to Artest on the inbound pass. Artest, fouled by Brand, made one free throw.

“I made two crucial mistakes on the last two possessions, and I’m going to take it like a man,” Maggette said. “Those plays were my fault. Kaman was doing a great job, I should have just left Tinsley with Kaman.”

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Backup center Zeljko Rebraca, sidelined indefinitely because of an irregular heartbeat, attended Sunday’s game, a Clipper spokesman said.