Clippers’ DeAndre Jordan plays against Suns despite a sprained thumb
Clippers center DeAndre Jordan has swelling in his right thumb after slamming it against the hand of a Utah Jazz player on Sunday.
About an hour before the Clippers were set to take on Phoenix at Staples Center on Monday night, DeAndre Jordan was on the court getting prepared for the game.
He had suffered a sprained right thumb during Sunday’s game against the Utah Jazz, but Jordan wasn’t about to miss the game against the Suns.
Jordan said there still was swelling around his thumb, so he was wearing a small pad for protection.
He was going after an offensive rebound when his hand struck the hand of Utah’s George Hill in the third quarter, causing Jordan so much pain he thought it was broken.
Jordan came back to play in the fourth quarter and the X-rays didn’t reveal a break.
“Man, I tried to get the ball and I had it and then George hit my hand,†Jordan said. “I thought it was broken. I was in so much pain.â€
Jordan tested the thumb before the game started against the Suns.
He went through a series of exercises with his personal trainer, Robbie Davis, and then he shot free throws with Clippers assistant coach Armond Hill.
“I don’t like missing any games,†Jordan said. “If feel like I can run and do something, I can play. I can help us. I can catch with both hands, so I’m going to be alright.â€
Clippers’ stalled offense
The Clippers have all these offensive weapons, but are mostly misfiring.
What’s most surprising about the struggles is that it’s coming from the Clippers’ first unit.
This is a group that has Blake Griffin, Chris Paul and J.J. Redick, three of the best scorers in the NBA.
But as a full team, the Clippers were averaging 101 points per game after the first two games and shooting just 40.8% from the field.
“I think it’s shooting, obviously,†Clippers Coach Doc Rivers said. “We just have to do a better job of putting them in the right place. I’m not that concerned by it. But we want it to be better.â€
When asked if was because of changes he may have made this season, Rivers discounted that.
“We didn’t make that many gigantic changes,†Rivers said. “You make a change literally every year. I don’t know if I’ve come in the year and run exactly the same stuff. We’re just not playing as well as we can offensively with that group yet. But you do see remnants, you see it coming. So, again, I’m not that concerned about it.â€
Twitter: @BA_Turner
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