Clippers Plummet to New Low

Getting blown out is one thing, but getting run off the court by the Golden State Warriors at home is as bad as it can get.

But for the Clippers, who have made losing an art form under owner Donald Sterling, it’s simply seems a case of business as usual--with Coach Chris Ford being the only person likely to pay the price down the line.

The Warriors, who will never be mistaken for the Portland Trail Blazers when it comes to overall talent, embarrassed the Clippers with a 107-76 victory Tuesday night before an announced crowd of 10,409 at Staples Center.

The Clippers (11-33) looked disinterested from the start. They stood around on offense and did the same on defense. They didn’t hustle for rebounds, loose balls or to the bench after Ford called one of his many timeouts.

“Guys went out and did what they wanted to do and the fact of the matter is we have no direction whatsoever,” center Michael Olowokandi said. “If you want to blame it on the individual players, that’s fine because I’m no stranger to that . . . but the truth is we have no direction.”

The Clippers were coming off an impressive victory over the New Jersey Nets on Saturday, which ended a 10-game losing streak, and they had the return of big man Brian Skinner, who had missed 21 games because of a severe ankle sprain.

Instead of coming out and being aggressive against the Warriors, the Clippers came out flatter than a stale tortilla.

“No, we weren’t prepared,” power forward Maurice Taylor said when asked if the Clippers were ready to play. “I could lie and say yes, but if you watched the game, you know . . . it’s not just one person’s word.”

Golden State (10-32), which entered with the second worst record in the league, trailed the Clippers by two points after one quarter. The Warriors, however, took charge in the second quarter and the Clippers didn’t put up much of a fight.

Ford hoped to give the lackluster Clippers a lift at the start of the quarter when he inserted Skinner for the first time since he was injured Dec. 14 in a loss to the Lakers.

Skinner, one of the more physical players on the team, didn’t have too much of an impact as Golden State dominated the boards and ran at will. Led by forwards Donyell Marshall and Antawn Jamison, the Warriors outscored the Clippers, 27-19, in the quarter and took a 48-42 lead into halftime.

Veteran shooting guard John Starks, activated off the injured list hours before the game, took over for Golden State in the third quarter. Starks drove the lane with ease, made jump shot after jump shot and had 10 points in the quarter.

The Clippers made things easier for the Warriors by forcing bad shots and standing around even more on offense. Golden State had an 11-2 run to open the second half and ended up outscoring the Clippers, 25-9, and led, 73-51, at the end of three quarters.

In the fourth quarter, the Clippers’ defense was nonexistent and had no hope for a comeback.

“We’ve had enough problems here,” Golden State Coach Garry St. Jean said. “I watched their last game against New Jersey and [the Clippers] did a heck of a job. I’ve had the same situation . . . you think you are ready to come out and you’re not. Those things happen.”

The Clippers shot 34.6%, were outrebounded, 46-36, and had 16 turnovers and only 10 assists. Tyrone Nesby led with 20 points and Olowokandi had 10 rebounds, but most of the Clippers struggled, including rookie Lamar Odom, who had only two points in 17 minutes.

“Guys weren’t at their peak tonight and I don’t know why,” Nesby said. “I guess you can say we were prepared but at the same time, prepared or not, we still have to go out and play ball.”

Something the Clippers will try and do tonight when they play against the Suns at Phoenix.