Chauncey Billups Says Blazers' Effort in Blowout Loss to Clippers Was 'Embarrassing'

Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups ripped his team's effort after Monday's 116-86 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, calling the performance "embarrassing."

“It was embarrassing, it was really embarrassing,” Billups told reporters. “Just the effort, I didn’t think that we started the game off with the right mindset. We talked in the locker room about the Clippers, they hadn’t won a game yet, two tough losses, they were desperate to get a win, you’re at home. We tried to defend against that but from the very first play of the game—we turned the ball over, we couldn’t get the ball where we needed to go, their pressure really hurt us. It just continued to snowball the rest of the way.”

The Clippers outscored the Blazers 31-17 in the first quarter and never looked back as they earned their first win of the 2021-22 season. Portland shot just 38.1 percent, including a ghastly 8-of-37 mark from beyond the arc.

This is the second time in the past two weeks that Billups has categorized his team as embarrassing. He used the same word after an Oct. 13 preseason loss to the Phoenix Suns.

The Blazers have opened the regular season 1-2, with an impressive win over Phoenix sandwiched between losses to the Kings and Clippers.

Billups is in his first year as Blazers coach. The hire faced significant criticism after rape allegations against Billups from 1997 resurfaced. The team also spent the offseason dealing with Damian Lillard trade rumors after the star expressed frustration at their lack of playoff success.

Lillard has since re-affirmed his commitment to Portland, saying he wants to see out Billups' vision for the franchise. An ugly 30-point road loss that ends with Billups ripping his team isn't the way either of them planned on things getting started.