Knee injury news to Paul
Chris Paul made an appearance on the Rockets’ injury report on Wednesday, which came as news to him.
Paul was listed as questionable to play against the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday with a sore left knee. But Paul said there are no questions in his mind about his availability.
“Did they?” Paul said when told he was added to the injury list. “I don’t know why. Who did that? I’m cool.”
Asked if he would be playing on Thursday, Paul said, “Yeah.” Rockets coach Mike
D’Antoni agreed. Though Paul was held out of Wednesday’s practice, he said Paul will play Thursday. Paul missed the Rockets’ first game against his former team with a strained groin. He played in the next two games between the teams, splitting outcomes. Forward Ryan Anderson remained out with a sore left hip, but he continued to step up his workouts, with D’Antoni saying Anderson is close to a return. After playing the Clippers on Thursday, the Rockets have a backto-back Saturday and Sunday in New Orleans and Minneapolis. Brandan Wright remains out with a sore right knee as the Rockets work to strengthen the area around the knee.
Clippers remain a worthy foe
While the Clippers might seem to have sneaked up on many teams, the Rockets have special reason to respect what they have done to be in the thick of the Western Conference playoff race.
The Clippers have won five of six games since their loss to the Rockets last month in Staples Center. They own two wins against the Rockets this season.
“They’ve had a lot of success,” Rockets forward Trevor Ariza said. “They’ve been dealing with a lot of injuries. The players on their team seem to continue to fight through. They give themselves a chance every night. … They have a lot of players over there that are underrated. They’re just as good as anybody we play against.”
The Clippers are one of just three teams — with the Grizzlies and Raptors — to have beaten the Rockets twice this season.
‘It’s always a tough game,” Rockets forward Luc Mbah a Moute said. “We’re going to have to be at our best. They beat us twice. This is a good team. We have to have the same intensity as the last time we played them, come out with a purpose and try to impose ourselves from the beginning.”
The Clippers are seventh in the Western Conference, just two games out of fourth in a season filled with significant injuries and the trade of Blake Griffin to Detroit. Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni said there has been no mystery about how they’ve done it.
“They’re just a good team,” D’Antoni said. “Obviously, it starts with De’Andre Jordan. De’Andre is huge in the middle. He presents every team with a problem. Then, Lou Williams comes in and does what he does. He knows he can get on a roll.
“They have a lot of guys who play hard. Doc (Rivers) does a great job getting them in a great system. They are a talented team really fighting for the playoffs. They have an edge that we have to match.”
Expect Jordan to be fired up
Clippers center DeAndre Jordan had 29 points Tuesday in Chicago, one shy of the career high he set last month and more than enough to impress his former teammates on the Rockets.
“He might start popping and shooting,” Rockets guard Chris Paul said. “I’m waiting for him to start setting screens and popping. … D.J. just plays hard, man. He plays the right way. He competes. If he scores, he scores. If he doesn’t, he doesn’t.”
Luc Mbah a Moute expects Jordan to be especially enthusiastic about Thursday’s game in his hometown. Jordan on Wednesday visited his elementary school to launch DeAndre Jordan’s Treehouse Giving Foundation Timeout Reading, a literacy program at Thompson Elementary School.
Jordan is averaging 12.2 points on 64.9 percent shooting, second in the NBA behind the Rockets’ Clint Capela.
“It’s not like he can’t score,” Mbah a Moute said. “He’s got good stuff down there. He finishes well in their offense. … That’s somebody we’re going to have to be very careful of. Obviously, coming back here, he’s going to have a chip playing against us.”