Five takeaways from the Clippers’ 113-102 loss to Memphis

The only Southern hospitality Saturday was provided by the Clippers, who didn’t put up much of a fight during a 113-102 loss to the injury-depleted Memphis Grizzlies at FedEx Forum. Here are five takeaways from the game:

1. It was another bad loss for the Clippers. It’s a good thing there’s no selection committee or Ratings Percentage Index for the NBA playoffs. If there were, the Clippers’ seeding might be in jeopardy. Losing to the severely short-handed Grizzlies was the latest head-scratching defeat for a team that has had more than a handful of them. The Clippers have also lost to Denver, Minnesota and Sacramento since Blake Griffin was sidelined by quadriceps and hand injuries, somewhat offsetting their solid overall record without the star power forward. It was clear from tip-off Sunday that the Clippers couldn’t match the Grizzlies’ sense of desperation. “We didn’t bring it early,” Clippers point guard Chris Paul said. “We can’t be like that. Me and D.J. [DeAndre Jordan], as the leaders, we led the team in plus-minus [as far as being outscored the most while on the court] tonight and we were terrible. That starts with us.”

2. Are the Clippers mentally soft? They have not been dominant at home. They have crumbled in the fourth quarter against some of the league’s top teams. They have not handled lesser opponents with the ease you would expect. And they have not built any continuity in weeks, last winning consecutive games against Brooklyn on Feb. 29 and Oklahoma City on March 2. Clippers Coach Doc Rivers called his team’s trip to Memphis a waste, saying his players didn’t have the right mind-set in practice, shoot-around or during the game. Clippers forward Wesley Johnson acknowledged taking the Grizzlies lightly, something that has apparently been an ongoing issue for this team. “It’s one of those things that we have to bring it every night regardless of who we’re playing or the matchups or whatever,” Johnson said. “We’ve got to bring it every night and that wasn’t the case today.”

3. These teams will probably see a lot of each other over the next month. The Clippers appear nearly locked into the No. 4 seeding in the Western Conference and the Grizzlies will probably finish No. 5 unless their injuries worsen and a recent fade deepens. The Clippers are four games behind third-place Oklahoma City with 13 games left in the regular season. They’re also four games up on the Grizzlies, who are four games up on sixth-place Portland.

4. How about those Grizzlies? They were missing two of their top players in Marc Gasol and Mike Conley as well as Matt Barnes, Brandan Wright, P.J. Hairston, Jordan Adams and Chris Andersen. It didn’t matter. The Clippers were the team that looked outmanned while continually losing the battle for rebounds and loose balls while getting manhandled by Zach Randolph, who compiled his first career triple-double. “They’re a tough team, they’re a physical team and that’s not good enough,” Rivers said of his team’s effort. “That’s how the playoffs are going to go. It’s going to be a long one. So we have to be more physical, mentally tough team.”

5. Now it’s on to another short-handed team. New Orleans will be without star center Anthony Davis (knee soreness), Eric Gordon (broken finger), Tyreke Evans (knee surgery) and Quincy Pondexter (knee surgery), among others. If nothing else, it’s another chance for the Clippers to match the desperation of a reeling team. “After our performance [Saturday], ideally we bounce back and have a really good game [Sunday] and say we wish we would’ve had that [Saturday],” Paul said. “We don’t have a choice but to fight [Sunday].” The Clippers could be without Jeff Green after the forward suffered a cut in his forehead that required eight stitches. Green said he thought he might have to go through the league’s concussion protocol to be cleared to play against the Pelicans, “but I’m pretty sure I’ll pass. We’ll see what the doctors say.”

ben.bolch@latimes.com

Twitter: @latbbolch