Mannix’s NBA Notebook: Clippers’ Defensive Turnaround and Luka Dončić’s Referee Beef

The Clippers finally found some life amid a four-game winning streak and could salvage what looked like a lost season.

Pistons guard Cade Cunningham moves to the basket against Clippers center Brook Lopez, forward Derrick Jones Jr. and forward Kawhi Leonard. / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Editor’s note: This first appeared in the Open Floor newsletter, a free, twice-weekly publication straight to your inbox. Subscribe now.

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Hello again, from Los Angeles, where on Tuesday we celebrate the birthdays of sports luminaries LeBron James, Tiger Woods, Sandy Koufax and … me. I know, fellas, it’s tough to share a birthday with a former high school point guard who once fancied himself the next Bobby Hurley. Count us among the club with birthdays that come after the Christmas hangover and before New Year’s. A sweet spot for celebrating, it is not. 

Podcast Alert: Rachel Nichols is back to discuss the Clippers’ recent surge, the Hawks’ Trae Young–sized problem and the NBA’s latest push to curb tanking. Subscribe to the pod here, here and here. 

Let’s begin … 

Is there life in Los Angeles?

The Clippers have looked really good during their four-game winning streak, racking up victories over the Lakers, Rockets and Pistons. Kawhi Leonard has been playing like an MVP, while Brook Lopez has made a huge impact since replacing the injured Ivica Zubac, spacing the floor with his perimeter shooting. 

The real story, though, has been the defense. The Clippers D has collapsed this season, flipping from a top-five unit last season to one that ranks in the bottom five in this one. Over the last four games, Los Angeles has turned it around, ranking third in the NBA. Is it sustainable? The Clips have the firepower to score with anyone. If they can get back to their stingy defensive ways—Derrick Jones Jr., who returned to the lineup Sunday, will help—there may be a path to salvaging what’s felt like a lost season. 

Luka Dončić vs. referees

JJ Redick was fuming after another lackluster defensive effort against Houston last week, promising some uncomfortable conversations with players in the aftermath. The Lakers rebounded with a win over Sacramento on Sunday, holding the Kings to 101 points. But the issues remain. The Lakers’ core—Luka Dončić, LeBron James and Austin Reaves—is made of below-average defenders. Deandre Ayton is not a reliable rim protector. Even when L.A. plays its best defenders—Marcus Smart and Jarred Vanderbilt—it still gets cooked. 

Dončić’s ongoing beef with referees is particularly problematic. Dončić has never been more than an average defender. But too often he gets consumed by arguments with officials, which often lead to the Lakers playing four-on-five on the defensive end. In Dallas, Mavericks coaches tried to discourage Dončić from engaging with referees, with little success. If the Lakers have any hope of being good enough to compete with the top-tier teams in the Western Conference, Dončić has to ease up. 

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