Wave of healed players returns to Clippers practice
Sweat poured down the faces of Austin Rivers and Danilo Gallinari on Sunday, a byproduct of both of them finally practicing after they had succumbed to injuries during training camp in Hawaii two weeks ago.
They joined another injured teammate, Sam Dekker, back on the court to make the Clippers almost complete again.
Still unable to practice was guard Patrick Beverley (sore right knee) and rookie Sindarious Thornwell (sprained right shoulder).
But Rivers, who had been out since the first exhibition in Hawaii because of a strained right glute, at least gives the Clippers one of their starting guards back.
“I’m ready to go, man,” he said after practice. “I could have played the last game, honestly. They are just being cautious with it. But I’m ready to go. I’ll be ready for Thursday.”
Gallinari, the starting small forward, went down after he sprained his left foot during a game in Hawaii. The injury slowed his progress of trying to learn a new system with a team he had just joined this summer from Denver in a threeteam, sign-and-trade deal.
“I’m feeling better,” Gallinari said. “I’m ready to go.”
But when asked if he was pain-free, Gallinari said, “No, but I’m ready to go. I’m ready. It was a very good practice.”
Dekker also was injured during the second game in Hawaii, suffering a strained left oblique. For Beverley, his goal was to practice Monday.
“I’ve been through it before,” Beverley said about his knee injury. “It’s something I’ve been through before and so I’ll be ready.”
Rivers, Gallinari, Beverley and Dekker are expected to play in the season opener Thursday night against the Lakers at Staples Center.
Rivers dealt with mononucleosis during the summer, making the Clippers think that has had an effect on his injury by making him tired. Rivers, however, contends that he’s healthy and ready to play.
“I got over that a couple of weeks ago, man,” Rivers said. “The past couple of weeks have been all conditioning and rhythm. I’m just trying to get reps in and that’s tough when you don’t play preseason games.
“I don’t have that ingame rep so the key is to try to go as hard as you can in practice to assimilate that. But I feel good, though. I’m ready to go.”
Willie Reed case
Clippers center Willie Reed, who was scheduled for an arraignment Monday in Miami on a misdemeanor battery case involving his wife, has agreed to enter a diversion program that should lead to the charges being dropped after he completes the program.
Reed, whose wife Jasmine withdrew the charges in August, will undergo counseling in Los Angeles and make a $500 donation to a domestic violence charity.
“Willie is committed to his family, to improve as a person and to working hard for a successful season for the Clippers,” his lawyers said in a statement Sunday.
broderick.turner@latimes.com Twitter: @BA_Turner