Roundtable Roundup: The Los Angeles Clippers' Ill-Timed Losing Streak Could Cost Them the Playoffs

Just nine days ago, the Los Angeles Clippers made NBA history.

Their 153-128 demolition of the Minnesota Timberwolves pushed them to 33-32, making them the first team ever to climb above .500 after falling 15 games below it in the same season.

Kawhi Leonard poured in 45 points in under 32 minutes. Bennedict Mathurin added 22 off the bench.

Four losses later, Los Angeles is 34-36 and staring at a play-in race that just got a whole lot tighter.

The Clippers had a four-game winning streak rolling and were two games above .500 for the first time all year.

Then Sacramento handed them a loss on March 14, and Leonard sprained his left ankle in the process.

He sat out the following game against San Antonio, which turned into another defeat.

When Mathurin was ruled out for the entire three-game road trip with a right big toe injury, the Clippers were suddenly trying to win meaningful games without their best player and their best bench scorer at the same time.

Leonard tried to gut it out on Wednesday in New Orleans and scored 25 points on 9-of-12 shooting, but he was visibly limping throughout the game.

Los Angeles lost 124-109 after the Pelicans went for a 36-point third quarter.

Leonard sat out Thursday's rematch entirely, and the Clippers fell 105-99 while shooting 31.3 percent from three and going just 19-for-32 from the free throw line.

The Phoenix Suns entered the week on a three-game losing streak of their own while dealing with injuries to Grayson Allen and Royce O'Neale.

Phoenix sits at 39-31, five games ahead of the Clippers. That gap was just three games before this skid started.

The Clippers were playing some of the best basketball in the league with a 9-2 run since March 1.

Instead of closing the distance and putting real pressure on the seventh seed, Los Angeles gave all of that ground back.

Catching Phoenix now feels like a long shot with only 12 games left.

The good news is that the Clippers have the fourth-easiest remaining strength of schedule in the league.

They have matchups against Milwaukee, Toronto, Indiana and Dallas, all teams currently sitting below .500.

They also get Portland at home on March 31 and close the season with the Trail Blazers on April 10 and Warriors on April 12, two games that could decide who makes the play-in and who goes home.

The bad news is that the margin for error is essentially gone.

Portland sits at 34-36, tied with the Clippers in the loss column.

Golden State is right behind at 33-36.

The Clippers still hold favorable season series advantages against both teams, but advantages on paper do not mean much when you cannot keep your best players healthy.

If Mathurin can return by Monday's game against Milwaukee as projected and Leonard's ankle cooperates, there is still time to get back together.

The talent is there.

But this team has already proven it cannot afford to play short-handed for extended stretches.