Clippers hit another low in home loss to Warriors

So much for playing later in the day.

Another Sunday, another loss.

Kim Hughes, the Clippers’ interim coach, had suggested a week ago, with a wry smile, that he would be willing to petition the NBA to never schedule a 12:30 p.m. game here again.

Well, six extra hours didn’t do the trick either as the Clippers lost to short-handed, road-challenged Golden State. The Warriors, boosted by a strong second-quarter surge, defeated the Clippers, 121-103, at Staples Center. The Clippers were outscored, 40-14, in the second quarter.

Maybe the next move is no more Sunday games. Then again, the Clippers will be fast running out of days on which to play, the way their star-crossed season has unfolded.

How else can you explain losing to Golden State by 18 points?

These are the same Warriors who before Sunday had won a mere four road games this season; it was their first road win since early January. It’s a telling summation that their five road wins equal the total of the hapless New Jersey Nets, who are 9-64.

Need more?

Golden State, sprinkled with Development League players, was without its leading scorer, guard Monta Ellis, because of flu, and former Clipper Corey Maggette had been ailing, unable to finish Saturday night’s game against Dallas because of flulike symptoms.

But rookie Reggie Williams ably stepped up in the backcourt and combined with rookie Stephen Curry to score 43 points. Williams had a game-high 25 points and added seven assists.

“It was a really strange and disappointing game,” Hughes said.

Strange and disappointing: Two perfect words to sum up the season.

How else to explain how the loss of backup point guard Steve Blake appeared to siphon the life out of the Clippers, who had led by 13 points in the first quarter. Blake came in for Baron Davis late in the first quarter and promptly sprained his left ankle about a minute later.

Blake, who later returned, said afterward that his ankle was fine, adding: “It felt worse than it is.”

Inexplicably, the Clippers rolled over and collapsed, committing 19 turnovers and shooting 37.8% on the night.

“We really went to pieces,” Hughes said. ‘I’m not sure if it was just a bad combination of guys or whether we didn’t guard or whether their speed shocked us.

“We shot ourselves in the foot — way too many turnovers. That’s unacceptable. We shot the ball poorly, settled for way too many threes. That’s not our style.”

Some of that had to do with Golden State. Warriors Coach Don Nelson pulled to within two victories of tying Lenny Wilkens for the most regular-season coaching victories in NBA history.

“Golden State can do that to you,” Hughes said. “They can trick you into playing a ragtag game, which they are very adept at and we are not good at. We need to go inside. We need to play inside-out, and have structure. We’re not a good undisciplined team, which we proved today.”

Rasual Butler led the Clippers with 21 points and Eric Gordon scored 20. Backup center DeAndre Jordan had 10 points and 10 rebounds, but he and starter Chris Kaman combined for eight turnovers.

This time, the start wasn’t the problem for the Clippers, who have won just twice in their last 13 games. Golden State turned it around by going on a 20-2 run.

“It’s one of many that we’ve just let go,” said Gordon.

lisa.dillman@latimes.com

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