The Los Angeles Clippers have been on a hot and cold streak as of late. They have one every other of their last six games, and lost the games in between. It seems as if they are successful when matched up against teams below .500 averages, but they have excessively struggled against title contending teams, such as the Oklahoma City Thunder, the San Antonio Spurs, and the Denver Nuggets. While the injury bug has diminished within the team, even a fully healthy unit doesn’t seem to be enough to grab a win. The bench has been inconsistent, and the entire team’s defense has faltered around the three-point line, leading opponents to score big points in the fourth quarter and take home a win. This was evidently proven last night at the Sleep Train arena in Sacramento, when Cousins, Evans, and Douglas took over in the fourth quarter and dominated the Clippers with back to back three-pointers. This loss dropped the Clippers to the fourth seed, a half game behind the rising Grizzlies.

The Memphis Grizzlies and Denver Nuggets have been more consistent within the past few weeks, winning repeatedly and sneaking up right behind the Clippers in the Western Conference. The Clippers are barely holding onto the fourth seed and home court advantage, and if they don’t get their heads screwed on straight, they may possibly find themselves slipping to a lower seeded position in the standings. They take on the struggling Philadelphia 76ers at their home court, Staples Center, tonight at 7:30 pm PST.