The Los Angeles Clippers’ season spiraled further into chaos Monday night as the Atlanta Hawks erased a 17-point deficit to claim a 105-102 victory at Intuit Dome, extending LA’s losing streak to five games and dropping their record to a disastrous 3-7.

James Harden delivered a masterful triple-double with 35 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds, but his fourth-quarter heroics couldn’t save the Clippers from their ongoing spiral. 

Harden scored 19 of his 35 points in the final period and converted a four-point play with 25 seconds remaining to pull LA within 105-102, but his rushed game-tying 3-point attempt with 12 seconds left missed the mark and sealed another painful loss.

New Lineup Brings Early Promise

With Bradley Beal ruled out approximately 90 minutes before tipoff due to a left hip injury that coach Tyronn Lue indicated could sideline him for multiple games, the Clippers unveiled a new starting lineup featuring John Collins alongside Ivica Zubac in the frontcourt. 

The move initially paid dividends as LA jumped out to a 12-2 run and built a 10-point lead after the first quarter while maintaining defensive pressure on the injury-depleted Hawks.

“We’ve been struggling rebounding the basketball, and career, statistically, (Collins) has been a really good rebounder,” Lue explained pregame. “Just put him alongside (Ivica Zubac) to be able to rebound the basketball. We need to be bigger.”

Hawks’ Bench Sparks Comeback

The momentum shifted dramatically in the second quarter when Atlanta reserve Vit Krejci ignited a 20-3 run with four 3-pointers in the span, including three consecutive ones that helped erase the Clippers’ 17-point advantage. 

Krejci finished with a career-high 28 points on 8-of-10 shooting from beyond the arc, burying the dagger 3-pointer with 36 seconds remaining to give Atlanta a 105-98 cushion.

Kristaps Porzingis added 20 points, while Jalen Johnson contributed 16 points and 10 rebounds despite being questionable with a quad injury before tipoff.

Same Problems, Different Night

The Clippers’ defensive woes continued to compound as they allowed 20 fast-break points compared to just four of their own. Without Kawhi Leonard for the fourth consecutive game due to an ankle injury and now missing Beal, LA’s transition defense collapsed once again.

“We just keep doing the same mistakes every single game and it’s not like it is going to magically change if we get Kawhi and Brad back in the next game,” Zubac said postgame. “We got to do the little stuff. We got to dominate defensive rebounding. We got to dominate the defensive transition. We got to communicate out there.”

Zubac finished with 13 points and 12 rebounds, while Derrick Jones Jr. and Kris Dunn each added 11 points in the losing effort.

With their transition defense ranking 26th in the league after finishing as high as third last season and a horrendous 3-7 record through 10 games, the Clippers’ championship aspirations are evaporating rapidly. 

“I feel like we’re closer and closer to turning that corner,” Zubac insisted. “It’s not going to get easier. We got Denver at home, and some road games. We’re just going to have to be tough, and we just gotta stick together.”