Ankle sprain sidelines Redick
Clippers guard J.J. Redick wasn’t able play Sunday against Sacramento at Staples Center because of a sprained right ankle suffered Saturday against Utah.
When Redick stopped to talk to the media before the game, a device was connected to the ankle. He was asked how a player not known for jumping could injure his ankle by stepping on a basketball.
Redick laughed, knowing he’s a shooter and not a high flier.
“I’m not sure how I jumped high enough over a ball to step on a ball,” Redick said, smiling. “Maybe it was like perfect timing. The ball landed and it compressed just a little bit for my foot to slide on top of it.”
Redick said the injury occurred in the second quarter right before he scored on a breakaway layup.
“I barely jumped,” Redick said. “It’s not a bad sprain. With the back-to-back, I tried to give it a go and I can’t really go today. I should be good for Wednesday.”
Since the Clippers don’t play again until Wednesday, Redick will have three days to rest and rehabilitate his ankle. Austin Rivers started in place of Redick.
Reserves falter Instead of the Clippers starters resting after the team built an 18point lead with 5:16 left in the fourth quarter, three of them were forced to return because the reserves couldn’t hold things down.
Chris Paul and Blake Griffin were reinserted with 3:04 left in the game and the Clippers up by 11 points. Jordan came back with 2:10 left. All of them were cold.
The Clippers scored just one point when they returned.
“It’s not about having to come back in. We’re a team,” Paul said.
“When we struggle, they come in and pick us up. When they were struggling, it was our job to come in and pick them up and we didn’t do it.”
Clippers Coach Doc Rivers told his team they “deserved” to lose.
“You tell them the truth,” Rivers said. “That game was won if we keep playing the way we’ve been playing. I thought we stopped doing that and I think sometimes you get away with it and sometimes you don’t and we didn’t get away with it tonight.”
Etc.
The Clippers on Sunday assigned rookie Brice Johnson to the NBA’s development team in Salt Lake City.