Clippers Fall From Great

It’s another rough time for the Clippers, who thought this stuff was behind them.

But they’ve again appeared unfocused and sloppy in a season-high losing streak, which the Houston Rockets extended to five games Wednesday night in a 106-102 victory at the Toyota Center.

Another fourth-quarter rally fell short for the Clippers, who lost for the sixth time in seven games despite getting 32 points and 12 rebounds from Elton Brand and 30 points from Cuttino Mobley.

The Rockets, who had a 59-45 lead at the half, also got big performances from their All-Star tandem of swingman Tracy McGrady, who scored 26 points, and center Yao Ming, who had 29 points and 15 rebounds.

Guard David Wesley delivered in a supporting role, scoring 21 points while making eight of 10 shots, including four three-point baskets, as the Rockets (23-31) led by as many as 16 points in the third quarter.

Although they had stretches of impressive play, especially in the final minutes, the Clippers again made too many mistakes for a group that aspires to be among the NBA’s best.

The Clippers have reached a fork in the road, Coach Mike Dunleavy said, and he’s eager to see which path they take.

“Again, it’s the same story,” said Dunleavy, whose team dropped to 30-23. “I love our effort and how hard we play, but we can’t play ... for only the last quarter and a half. We went the first half not doing the things we needed to do, bad shot selection, bad tempo, bad execution of game plan, and then we go through stretches where we do it right and we understand and we play great.

“I told our guys that we’ve got a long ride home on this plane, and they have to think about what they really want here. They have the ability to get it done, and the great teams, the really good teams in the playoffs that go far and do things, are smart teams. They’re not just teams that play hard.

“Until we get that focus, that purpose and that mind-set to our game, we’ll keep having stretches like this, where we fight but come up short ... against the good teams that are playoff teams.”

After a 3-9 stretch, the Clippers won 11 of 14 and were a season-best 12 games above .500 with four games remaining before the All-Star break.

The Pacific Division title was within their grasp, players said, and they were again on track to accomplish something special. They now trail the Phoenix Suns by six games.

“We’ve got 29 ballgames to figure it out for ourselves,” Dunleavy continued. “How good do we really want to be?

“Are we satisfied to have a shot at just making the playoffs? Or are we a team that’s going to be ready to go when the playoffs start? That’s really where it is for us.”

The players said they heard him.

“We have to play intense from the beginning. We can’t keep digging holes and trying to come back,” said Brand, who has 30 double-doubles. “Do we want to be a very good team, a great team, or just hang around and fight for a playoff spot at the end and get in?

“We have the talent, we’ve shown that we can play with any team, especially when we play hard and play the right way. We just have to do that for ... I’ll take 35 minutes right now, not even the full 48. We’re doing it in the second half when we’re down, but we’ve got to do it over the entire game.”

Mobley agreed.

“That’s what I’m talking about,” he said. “The effort is there, but you can’t give effort for eight minutes, we’ve got to give it the whole game. It’s about thinking, knowing you can win and going out there and doing it.”