Where the Clippers Stand as They Try to End a Seven-Game Skid

The Los Angeles Clippers have lost seven straight games since beating Sacramento 121-96 on opening night, which leaves them at 1-7 and tied with the Utah Jazz and Sacramento Kings for the fewest wins in the Western Conference.

The latest loss stung more than most, because the Clippers led the Miami Heat by 20 points late in the second quarter and were still up 10 with about four and a half minutes left in the fourth on Wednesday, but Miami went on a 9-0 run, forced overtime and won 117-116 at Intuit Dome when guard Klay Thompson hit a 3-pointer with one second left, according to the Associated Press.

Guard Darius Garland scored 26 points with seven assists, forward Rui Hachimura added 21 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, and center Brook Lopez scored 20.

Coach Tyronn Lue still felt his team did enough to win, according to The Sporting Tribune .

"We played pretty well, good enough to win the game, it just didn't go our way tonight," Lue said.

Hachimura has also explained what went wrong in the second half.

The biggest problem is easy to find, with the Clippers turning the ball over 20.1 times a game, the most in the NBA, and Garland alone averaging 5.5 turnovers to go with his team-high 20.9 points.

That has wasted some good shooting, since the Clippers rank fifth in the league at 38.2% from three.

Rookie guard Keaton Wagler, the No. 5 pick in this year's draft, has been a bright spot too, averaging 12.0 points per game while coming off the bench in all eight games.

The roster is also still missing two big pieces, including forward Brandon Ingram, who came over from the Toronto Raptors in the Kawhi Leonard trade, has not played yet after heel surgery in May and a partially torn right Achilles.

He was recalled from the G League's San Diego Clippers on Nov. 1, but he is still listed as out, and guard Bradley Beal has not played either because of a right knee issue.

Off the court, the NBA took five first-round picks and fined the team $30 million in September, owner Steve Ballmer is serving a one-year suspension, and Trent Redden is the interim president of basketball operations while Lawrence Frank serves a six-month suspension.

I do not think this season is lost, because the Clippers built big leads in each of their last two losses, including 16 points against Toronto and 20 against Miami, and Garland has shown he can carry the offense late, as Lue pointed out after the Miami game.

If they cut down the turnovers and get Ingram back, the talent is there to climb.

The schedule should help, too, with the Clippers hosting the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday, visiting the Phoenix Suns on Nov. 10 and then coming home for three straight games against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Charlotte Hornets and Jazz.

Garland's ability to create offense has been the team's biggest strength since the first week, Lue is in his seventh season, and the next two weeks will show whether this group can finally close out games.