The Los Angeles Clippers dropped to 3-7 in this 2025-26 season following a 105-102 loss to the Atlanta Hawks at the Intuit Dome on Monday. This was the Clippers’ fifth straight defeat, the second-longest active losing streak in the NBA, and James Harden spoke postgame about what has been going wrong for his team.
“We haven’t had any consistency, for real,” Harden said, via Joey Linn. “… We’ve had so many different lineups, so many guys in and out of the rotation. Once we finally have some consistency, I think that will help us out. Guys are all over the place.
“Some guys haven’t played in ever,” Harden continued. “Some guys are just put in the rotation. Some guys are new here; it’s their first 10 games. It’s a lot that goes into it. I don’t think we can pinpoint or put a fingerprint on one thing. I think it’s a variety of things that’s happening.”
With the likes of Kawhi Leonard and Bradley Beal missing time with injury, Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue has been doing a fair bit of experimenting. John Collins was inserted into the lineup for the first time against the Hawks, and he became the ninth player to start a game for them this season.
Lue is trying to find the right formula, but that, in turn, means he’s sacrificing consistency. He needs to find the right mix sooner rather than later, or the Clippers will find themselves in a hole that they can’t dig themselves out of.
Harden’s play proved to be pretty much the only positive in this latest loss to the Hawks. The 11-time All-Star had 35 points (12-23 FG), 10 rebounds, 11 assists, and two blocks on the night.
Harden did take a questionable shot from the logo in the closing stages, but you can’t be too hard on him when no one else on the team even got to 15 points. Ivica Zubac was the best of the rest, finishing with 13 points (6-10 FG), 12 rebounds, one assist, and two blocks.
The Clippers appeared set to cruise to victory when they led 36-19 with under nine minutes remaining in the second quarter. The Hawks, however, managed to wipe out that advantage in a flash, as they went on a 23-5 run to take a 42-41 lead with just over four minutes remaining in the period. We suddenly had a game on our hands, and the visitors would ultimately prevail.
While one might point to Leonard and Beal’s absence as a reason for the loss, the Hawks were also without Trae Young and Nickeil Alexander-Walker. You’d have expected the hosts to take care of business, but they fell short yet again.
The Clippers weren’t expected to be a serious title contender this season, but no one thought they’d be this bad. This was a team that finished fifth in the West last season with a 50-32 record, and it seems quite unlikely that they’ll even come close to matching that record.
The Clippers have quite a brutal stretch coming up, too. They are in action next against the Denver Nuggets at the Intuit Dome on Wednesday at 10:30 PM ET.
Following that clash against the Nuggets, the Clippers will go on a seven-game road trip. They are currently 0-3 away from home this season, and you wouldn’t fancy their chances of picking up too many wins on that trip.
