Five takeaways from the Clippers’ 104-90 loss to the Miami Heat

The Clippers lost to the Miami Heat, 104-90, on Sunday. Here are five takeaways from the game:

1) The Clippers struggled on the boards

The Clippers were outrebounded, 46-27. DeAndre Jordan, who is averaging a league-leading 13.5 rebounds, finished with only six on Sunday. Blake Griffin also finished with only six rebounds. To put things in perspective -- Miami’s Hassan Whiteside had 16 rebounds, more than Jordan and Griffin combined.

“We’ve been really good at it as of late,” Clippers Coach Doc Rivers said of rebounding. “This was a setback tonight.”

2) The Clippers reserves were outplayed by Miami’s bench

The Heat’s bench outscored the Clippers’ reserves, 37-15. Jamal Crawford, who is averaging 15.9 points off the bench, scored only four points on one-for-nine shooting. Spencer Hawes also had only four points on two-for-six shooting.

3) Clippers led at top of game

The Clippers opened strongly, taking a 13-point lead early in the first quarter. Then it seemed as though they lost their energy, allowing Miami to have an advantage entering the second, and eventually lead by as many as 15 points.

“Our defense was terrible tonight, but our offense was just as bad tonight,” Rivers said. “I don’t think that was the same team you’ve seen the last two games.”

4) The Clippers went 6-3 on this homestand

The Clippers had won five of their last six games, including the previous four by an average of 25.5 points. Their loss to Miami comes at the end of a nine-game homestand -- the longest in franchise history -- during which they went 6-3. Chris Paul was not impressed.

“No, that’s not what we were expecting,” Paul said.

5) The Clippers have a tough opponent coming up

The Clippers next game is at Portland against the Trail Blazers on Wednesday. The Clippers (25-13) are in sixth place in the Western Conference while the Trail Blazers (30-8) are in second. The Clippers are five games behind the Trail Blazers, who are just one game behind the first-place Golden State Warriors.