When the NBA playoffs begin in April, the Clippers will be there. Nothing else beyond that is guaranteed.
Their postseason seeding is still in jeopardy. What was once a hot pursuit of the No. 2 spot in the Western Conference has dissolved into an uneasy hold on fourth place. As the presumptive Pacific Division winner, they can't fall lower than that, but do they really want to face the Denver Nuggets in the first round -- without home-court advantage?
All of that is still to be determined, but after their 116-101 slip against the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night, the Clippers are struggling to find some sort of foothold as they approach their final 14 regular-season games.
The defeat at Sleep Train Arena in Sacramento was compounded by the loss of starting guard Chauncey Billups, who left the game midway through the second quarter with what the team called a right groin strain. He didn't return.
Billups has already endured two long stretches on the sideline with injuries; a third would be devastating so close to the postseason.
It's unlikely he would have made a difference against a Kings team that has remade itself since the All-Star break, leading the league in scoring and ranking third in three-point shooting percentage.
The Kings broke the Clippers with their spot-on shooting, making 14 of 28 three-point shots and getting four in a row late in the game -- three from Toney Douglas and one from Marcus Thornton -- to secure the victory.
Sacramento began pulling away after the Clippers had taken an 86-78 lead on a three-pointer by Jamal Crawford. The Kings then went on a 13-0 run and kept the lead. Douglas scored 17 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter.
"We're not playing well enough right now, not guarding hard enough right now," coach Vinny Del Negro told reporters afterward. "We're not physically and mentally tough enough, especially when we have to be in the fourth quarter. That's definitely a concern.
"It's not one guy. You win and lose as a team, but (I'm) disappointed we're not showing some more resiliency, more resistance. We're going to have to address that as we move forward."
With Billups out, Chris Paul matched his season high in minutes, playing 44 and finishing with 11 points, 15 assists and 4 steals. But he also missed 8 of 10 shots and committed 7 turnovers.
Blake Griffin led the Clippers with 26 points, and Crawford had 25, but a lack of defense is what doomed them. The Kings made 9 of 16 threes in the first half, were 0 for 4 in the third period but then converted 5 of 8 in the decisive fourth.
For the game, Sacramento shot 51 percent.
"It's not just teams hitting threes at opportune times," Crawford said. "They're hitting 50 percent. That's amazing. We have to do a better job as players."
The Kings employed a hack-a-Jordan defense in the fourth quarter, intentionally fouling Clippers center DeAndre Jordan with the game still in doubt. Jordan made just 1 of four free throws before Del Negro pulled him for Caron Butler.
The Clippers have a tough turnaround, returning home Wednesday to play the Philadelphia 76ers at Staples Center. They also face the Brooklyn Nets at home on Saturday, but then play four road games in five nights next week, starting next Tuesday in Dallas.
"We have to challenge ourselves and be prepared," Crawford said, "and know it's not going to be easy."
They found that out Tuesday night.
