Clippers cited for lack of effort in 127-101 loss to Suns

The Clippers already have amassed a season’s worth of losses, so what’s a few more?

Defeats are acceptable, interim Coach Kim Hughes said Wednesday evening, as long as the Clippers fully exert themselves and continue to develop for next season.

Of course, Hughes wasn’t sure whether he could say even that about his team following a 127-101 loss to Phoenix at Staples Center.

The Clippers struggled to keep up with a Suns big man for the second time in six days and faded badly during a third quarter in which they were outscored by 21 points.

“I thought some of us started feeling sorry for ourselves, and that bothered me,” Hughes said. “I didn’t think we ran back on defense at all.”

Not that it would have mattered much against Amare Stoudemire.

The Suns forward scorched the Clippers for 30 points, the same total they had yielded to Robin Lopez last week in Phoenix. Making repeated forays to the basket for dunks and uncontested lay-ins, Stoudemire converted 12 of 16 shots and grabbed 14 rebounds to help the Suns earn an eighth consecutive victory against their Pacific Division rival.

Stoudemire scored seven points in the Suns’ 20-4 run to close the third quarter, when they transformed a tightly contested game into a rout in which they finished with 20 more rebounds than the Clippers.

“He’s just so efficient,” Clippers center Chris Kaman said. “All his stuff was dunks right around the rim.”

Kaman stuck around for an entire game against the Suns this time, if only to see his team’s four-game home winning streak end. He had 24 points on 11-for-16 shooting after being ejected 20 seconds into the second half when these teams played last week.

Hughes’ losing-is-OK philosophy entails playing DeAndre Jordan more than he would if the Clippers were in the playoff chase, to speed the growth of the second-year center. Jordan didn’t progress much in 26 minutes Wednesday, finishing with one point and four rebounds one game after he recorded four points and a season-high four blocks.

But Hughes said he doesn’t expect a linear progression from Jordan, with setbacks an inevitable part of his development. And Wednesday certainly qualified as a step back for Jordan, and for the Clippers.

Bearded glory

Baron Davis, Internet sensation?

A new YouTube video hawking a replica Davis beard — “the ultimate swag booster” — is the first of several online skits starring the Clippers guard planned for release this year.

The video has generated nearly 35,000 web hits and might have sparked sizeable sales . . . if it weren’t a spoof.

“It’s just kind of showing a lighter side, a fun side and trying to bring some fun and entertainment to the team,” Davis said.

The video features Davis wearing a Hugh Hefner-style smoking jacket and touting “Boom’s” beard, “a brand new product guaranteed to take every aspect of your life to a whole new level.” It also features a cameo appearance by Utah guard Deron Williams and a “recession special” price of $29.99 plus shipping and handling.

“It was fun,” said Davis, who filmed the spot before the season. “We’ve got a couple of them in the vault and are just starting to release them now.”

Etc.

Forward Craig Smith sat out a second straight game because of a strained left biceps, but Hughes said he hoped Smith could play Friday against Oklahoma City.

ben.bolch@latimes.com