Clippers Had Locker Room Argument After Loss to Toronto Raptors

Tension may be boiling over for the Los Angeles Clippers following Sunday's 91-80 home loss to the Toronto Raptors at Staples Center. The team has lost seven of nine games since starting 4-0. 

The frustration in the Clippers locker room afterward reportedly resulted in an argument, as media members heard screaming coming from within. Dan Woike of the Orange County Register provided specifics on what occurred:

Woike reported Josh Smith and a unidentified Clippers coach were involved in a frustration-fueled argument: "Profanities and yelling made their way through the cement walls separating the Clipper locker room from an adjacent room where the media was waiting to speak to head coach Doc Rivers."

Rivers attempted to dismiss the purported incident, saying, "It happens more than you think after games," per Melissa Rohlin of the Los Angeles Times. Rivers added, per Woike, "I'm not proud of anyone right now—including me."   

Make no mistake, the pressure is on for the Clippers to make a deep run in 2015-16. Superstar point guard Chris Paul has never played in the conference finals, while DeAndre Jordan's return and Blake Griffin's continued development have only raised expectations.

Fox Sports Live highlighted how Griffin had an awful outing against Toronto:

"

In today's loss to the Raptors, Clippers Blake Griffin finished with more turnovers (6) than field goals (4) & ended the game with 9 points.

— FOX Sports Live (@FOXSportsLive) November 22, 2015"

"Pretty frustrating to drop three in a row. I think it's pretty normal to be frustrated," said Griffin after Sunday's loss, per Rohlin.

In the loaded, extremely competitive Western Conference, L.A. can't afford to harbor internal hostility if the talented squad is meant to realize its full potential.

ESPN.com's J.A. Adande proposed a potential solution for the Clippers' woes:

Rivers has dealt with multiple volatile egos as coach the Boston Celtics and has had success with the Clippers during his tenure. The bigger the hole this Los Angeles team digs for itself early on, though, the tougher it will be to climb out and correct any problems the Clippers may have with each other.

After a disappointing letdown on its home court, Rivers' bunch has to pull together and travel to Denver to take on the Nuggets on Tuesday.

After drafting in the lottery in June, Denver is off to a decent start and has an identical record to L.A. (6-7). That's an unlikely scenario most experts wouldn't have predicted before the season started—even through a mere 13 games.