While Orlando was producing as many airballs as three-pointers (three), and the Clippers’ lead reached 16, Steve Ballmer watched Tuesday’s first half from a seat five rows up from Staples Center’s midcourt, appearing as relaxed as the team’s animated owner can be.
By the start of the fourth quarter, his location had changed to a baseline seat. He watched, hunched over, as the relative serenity of the first half disappeared into an outcome few could have predicted.
Playing for the fifth time in seven days and missing five players, including four starters, the Clippers’ hold slowly eroded over the course of a second half to forget en route to a 103-96 loss that snapped their six-game winning streak.