Doc Rivers/Photo by Associated Press

The New Orleans Pelicans took a record of 24-22 into their game against the visiting Los Angeles Clippers on Friday. The Clippers entered 32-14 and on a six-game winning streak.

The Pelicans were missing their best player – forward Anthony Davis – who is one of the best players in the NBA. That would figure to make it easier for the Clippers, but it worked out the opposite way because New Orleans won 108-103. Without Davis, the Pelicans outrebounded the Clippers 51-38, and Davis averages a team-best 10.4 rebounds.

It just didn’t make a lot of sense. But Clippers coach Doc Rivers is of the mind that perhaps  his team relaxed when it found out Davis was out with a groin injury.

“We didn’t have great focus tonight and we’ve been pretty good, so it happens,” Rivers said post-game. “But our focus was just terrible tonight. I don’t know if they found out A.D. (Anthony Davis) wasn’t playing or not, but that’s not how you have to approach a game. You think about the beginning of the third quarter and by the time of the third or fourth timeout, they had scored the rest of the game, so it happens. I’m not happy with them and our guys shouldn’t be happy with themselves. We played awful and we deserved to lose. Really, if we had won the game it would have been an injustice; it really would have been. We deserved to lose.”

How’s that for honesty? That’s the best thing Rivers could have said because his players have to know when they weren’t ready. Rivers sometimes is too diplomatic when assessing his team after a loss. Not this time. Good for him.

The Clippers (32-15) are 1-1 on their eight-game Grammy road trip. Next up is San Antonio on Saturday night at 6. The Spurs are 30-17 and in seventh-place in the Western Conference standings, two games behind the Clippers, who are tied for fourth with Portland.