The Daily Dose: Dose: Good Knight, L.A.
There were only six teams in action on Thursday, but that didn’t stop the news and story angles from rolling in. The Clippers had all kind of issues, the Suns backcourt took advantage of the situation, and the Heat and Warriors both got another win. Follow me on Twitter by clicking here!
Suns 118, Clippers 104 – What happens to the Clippers when they’re down a Chris Paul (groin), a J.J. Redick (back) and a half of Blake Griffin (ejected)? The Suns roll, Doc Rivers loses his mind, and the Clippers basically give up. Paul ended up being scratched after lineup deadlines due to a sore finger, swollen eye and tender groin. And according to Doc Rivers, he might also get Saturday off against the Pistons, which would give him a full week to recover, as the Clippers don’t play again until Thursday, Nov. 19 against Golden State. If I had to place a bet here, I’d say CP3 is done until Thursday, but owners will obviously want to watch the news and see what Rivers does with his star.
With CP3 and Redick out, I thought Austin Rivers and Jamal Crawford would both play well, while Pablo Prigioni got the start at point guard. Prigioni had six points, four boards, three assists, three steals and two 3-pointers on 2-of-6 shooting, Rivers hit just 4-of-12 shots and a 3-pointer for 11 points, two boards, two assists and no steals, and Crawford hit 7-of-14 shots and a 3-pointer for a season-high 18 points and three steals in the loss. With CP3 and Redick both iffy (at best) for Saturday, and closer to unlikely, Prigioni, Crawford and Rivers will once again get plenty of opportunities on Saturday, and all three make for interesting daily options.
Griffin got a technical for bumping into Mirza Teletovic and then got another one for expressing his thoughts after a tough play under the basket late in the first half, and that was the end of the night for Mr. Kia. Doc Rivers was incensed, complaining that officials need to be held to the same standards as coaches and players when they lose their cool, and given how harmless the plays he was called for technicals looked, it’s hard to disagree with him. It’s possible both technicals are rescinded, or they could both stand. Either way, once Griffin left, this game was over. As for the chances of Griffin being suspended, I don’t see how it’s possible, although a fine may be coming for Rivers.
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DeAndre Jordan was quiet with 11 points, nine boards and one block, Lance Stephenson had a season-high 11 points with two steals and a block, but hit just 5-of-13 shots, and Wes Johnson actually played well with 14 points, three 3-pointers, three rebounds and a steal on 5-of-11 shooting off the bench. Oddly, even with Mr. Jordan, the Clippers have been outrebounded in every game this season.
The Suns saw Brandon Knight match a career high with 37 points, six 3-pointers, two rebounds and four assists on 14-of-22 shooting, and Eric Bledsoe added 26 points, 10 rebounds, nine assists, two steals and two 3-pointers on 9-of-13 shooting. Yes, the Clippers were missing their starting backcourt, badly. The worst part about this explosion from Knight and Bledsoe is that the Suns only played two games this week, meaning that they might have been on fantasy benches in weekly-lineup leagues. Sorry. Markieff Morris never got a chance, leaving after just six minutes with five points after suffering a mild left knee sprain. That gave minutes to Teletovic and Jon Leuer, and Leuer hit 4-of-13 shots for 10 points, 11 rebounds, a block and a 3-pointer in 24 minutes. If Morris is going to miss time, Leuer might be the better short-term fill-in, but Morris’ injury doesn’t sound serious.
Tyson Chandler was bad with five points, eight boards, two steals and a block in 28 minutes, while P.J. Tucker was also disappointing in another start with seven points, six boards, three steals and a 3-pointer on 3-of-7 shooting in 31 minutes. T.J. Warren made a nice showing with 18 points, a steal, block and 3-pointer on 7-of-10 shooting in 25 minutes, and he’s going to be stalking Tucker’s starting job all year. Alex Len was quiet with 1-of-4 shooting and two points and four rebounds in 19 minutes. I’m afraid he’ll need an injury to Tyson Chandler to really break loose. Lastly, Ronnie Price suffered a concussion, and Devin Booker and Sonny Weems collided and both needed stitches. This was a messy, injury-filled game, but the Suns’ backcourt was a joy to watch on Thursday night.
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