Five things to consider about the current state of the Clippers

– For four consecutive games now the Clippers have not looked like a team that can compete for the Western Conference championship once the playoffs begin. It started with a loss at Denver, then continued with close wins over Detroit and league-worst Milwaukee and a loss at New Orleans. It’s doubtful any of those four teams will make the playoffs.

– Chris Paul was 0-for-12 from the field in the loss to New Orleans on Wednesday. That’s something that will likely never happen again in Paul’s career. However, even though he is the team’s point guard, he still needs to score for the Clippers to be at their best. He averages 18.5 points.

– The really good news is that Jamal Crawford appears all the way back from a strained left calf that had him recently missing eight of nine games. He led the Clippers with 31 points at New Orleans.

– Even though the Clippers have struggled over the past four games, perhaps it should have been expected. After all, they had won 11 consecutive games prior to the loss at Denver on March 17. So often when a team goes on a long winning streak, it immediately goes into a mild slump once it’s snapped.

– In case you haven’t noticed, center DeAndre Jordan is averaging a league-high 13.7 rebounds. His previous best was when he averaged 8.3 in the 2011-12 season. That’s 5.4 more rebounds per game. Not too shabby.

Clippers play Thursday at 5:30 p.m. at Dallas on Prime Ticket.