Somewhere between the installation of the Clippers’ defensive plan for Wednesday night and its execution, things went haywire and resulted in a 129-109 loss to Utah at Staples Center.
There are no guarantees that clarity or answers will be be found soon. Instead, there is a strong possibility things could get worse before they get better.
The Clippers, losers of four consecutive games, host Golden State, winners of six in a row, Friday in a matchup that is the worst imaginable for a defense desperately in search of progress.
The winning streak that has shot the Warriors to the top of the Western Conference standings has been fueled by an offense that, with stars Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant back playing alongside each other more often, ranks first in the NBA in efficiency by a mile.