The Clippers blew a 22-point, third-quarter lead to the Warriors on Friday night and after the contest, Kawhi Leonard said the team just has to “change.”
“We just have to change, pretty much. We’ve got to change it. We’ve got to get better,” said Leonard (via Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.com).
Since the start of the 2019-20 campaign, Los Angeles has lost eight games where they have had at least a 15-point lead, which is the most in the NBA, per ESPN’s Stats & Information.
“I’m not about to tell you what we’re doing in the locker room,” Leonard said when asked about how the players communicated after blowing yet another lead. “It’s locker room talk.”
More From The Western Conference
- James Harden believes the Rockets have “a lot of work” as they attempt to get more comfortable with each other. “I think every team feels that way but for us, we’re behind because we haven’t had our entire team or an opportunity to work together very often. As long as we continue to find chemistry…we have a chance to do something special,” Harden said (via Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle).
- The Grizzlies will be without Jonas Valanciunas due to contact tracing, per ESPN’s Royce Young. The center was forced to leave the bench prior to halftime during Memphis’ game against Brooklyn on Friday. Valanciunas didn’t test positive for COVID-19, though he will need to quarantine for seven days (and continue to test negative) before being cleared to return. The Grizzlies have three games (Cavs, Wolves, Wolves) in the next week.
- Cameron Payne will miss Saturday’s game against the Pacers, as his right ankle sprain continues to give him trouble (per Duane Rankin).
- The Suns were without rookie Jalen Smith on Friday against Detroit and he won’t be with the club on the final two games of their road trip. He’s being held back due to the league’s health and safety protocols. Smith has also been dealing with an ankle injury, which has only allowed him to suit up in two games this season.
