There’s drama in La-La land and, for once, it has nothing to do with the Lakers.
The Clippers are looking less like the Hollywood thriller they were billed to be during the offseason and more like a Greek theater tragedy. A 91-80 loss to the Raptors on Sunday was the Clips' seventh in their last nine games after going 4-0 to start the season.
MORE: Biggest disappointments early in the NBA season | Warriors tie best start in NBA history
The losing appears to have already begun taking its toll. Tempers reportedly flared after the game, as Josh Smith was involved in a shouting match with an unspecified coach, according to the Orange County Register.
“It’s pretty frustrating," said Blake Griffin, who managed only nine points in the loss. "We’ve dropped three in a row. I think it’s pretty normal to be frustrated. But, we can’t let that frustration affect us negatively moving forward. I think we need to do a good job of sitting down, being real and understanding what the real problems are moving forward.”
The good news for the Clippers is that it’s early. They’ve played in less than a fifth of their regular season games already, so their season is still salvageable.
There’s still time for a fairytale ending to their story — but only if the cast doesn’t implode before that happens.
Stud of the night
The Pelicans picked up their second win in a row Sunday night and, as usual, Anthony Davis led the charge. The big man had another outstanding night, scoring 32 points, grabbing 19 rebounds and blocking four shots in the Pelicans' 122-116 overtime win over the Suns.
Dud of the night
We could have very well chosen the whole Clippers team, but we'll single out Griffin. The All-Star shot 4 of 10 from the field as his team lost for the seventh time in nine games.
Tweet of the night
This was a malfunction. But the way the Warriors have been playing this season, it may not be out of the question.
This would mean the game is out of reach... pic.twitter.com/Ppuqj4pvLj
— Chris Dempsey (@dempseypost) November 23, 2015
Looking ahead
76ers (0-14) at Timberwolves (5-8), 8 p.m. ET: This matchup is intriguing for two reasons. First, it will be the first NBA matchup between big men Karl-Anthony Towns and Jahlil Okafor, selected No. 1 and No. 3 overall in last year's draft. Secondly, though this Timberwolves squad looks to be better than recent versions, this could be a legit chance for the Sixers to get a win.