Clippers at Wizards
The Los Angeles Clippers managed to win the first game without star forward Blake Griffin and will need to carry that formula over for at least a couple of weeks. The Clippers will be without Griffin again when they visit the Washington Wizards on Monday.
Griffin suffered a partial quad tear in a win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday, and an MRI on Saturday reveled the extent of the injury. “We don’t need anybody to try to do more, just everybody do their jobs and kind of pitch in,” Los Angeles coach Doc Rivers told reporters. “When one or two guys try to take up the slack, you usually mess it up. I just think obviously you’re not going to replace Blake and no one is, so everyone just has to pitch in.” The Wizards know all about picking up the slack for injured players, and star John Wall has done most of the heavy lifting in the absence of Bradley Beal, Otto Porter Jr. and others. Wall went for 22 points and 13 assists as Washington picked up its fourth straight win on Saturday at Brooklyn.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, Prime Ticket (Los Angeles), CSN Mid-Atlantic (Washington)
ABOUT THE CLIPPERS (18-13): Paul Pierce has mainly served a leadership role for the team as his career winds down, but Griffin’s injury is forcing him back into a starring role. Pierce scored a season-high 20 points in 27 minutes – his longest stint since Nov. 19 – on Saturday in a 109-104 win at Utah. “It’s not going to get any easier, so it was good to get the win,” Pierce told reporters. “It’s not just going to take me, it’s going to take a number of guys to fill his role. He’s an All-Star, he’s an MVP candidate, so it’s going to take a number of guys.”
ABOUT THE WIZARDS (14-14): The four-game winning streak brought Washington back to .500 and featured advancements at both ends of the court. The Wizards, who rank near the bottom of the league with an average of 104.6 points allowed, held each of the last three opponents under 100 points while Wall took control at the other end. The point guard is averaging 14.5 assists in the last four games and formed a strong connection with center Marcin Gortat, who scored 25 points on 10-of-15 shooting on Saturday.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Clippers F Josh Smith started in place of Griffin on Saturday and went scoreless on 0-of-2 shooting in five minutes.
2. Wizards G Jarell Eddie went 4-of-5 from 3-point range in his NBA debut on Saturday.
3. Los Angeles has taken three of the last four meetings, with the lone loss coming at Washington last season.