Doc Rivers intimates Spurs playing better than Warriors at this time

 

Chris Paul

Chris Paul/Photo courtesy of Los Angeles Clippers

 

With all the talk in the NBA about the Golden State Warriors, perhaps the San Antonio Spurs are being overlooked at this time. Not by Clippers coach Doc Rivers, that’s for sure.

“San Antonio, I think their point differential now is more than Golden State’s, which, it’s funny, maybe no one knows that,” said Rivers, whose team will play at San Antonio on Friday at 5 p.m. (on Prime Ticket, ESPN). “Everyone is talking about the other team and San Antonio, they’re not beating teams right now, they’re destroying teams and so we’ve got a great challenge. We’re really looking forward to it.”

Rivers is almost right. San Antonio, at 22-5, is scoring 101.6 points per game and allowing a league-low 88.2. That’s a differential of 13.4. Golden State, at 25-1, is scoring 115.8 points and giving up 102.2, a differential of a league-best 13.6.

Either way, the Clippers will be facing a Spurs team with the second-best record in the league. San Antonio has won four consecutive games and eight of nine. Of course, the Clippers (16-10) have won nine of 11, but only two of those teams currently have better than .500 records.

It stands to reason this game will tell the Clippers a lot about themselves. Rivers isn’t so sure.

“I don’t know,” he said. “I guess I’ll answer that at the end of it. I hope it tells me something, but you just don’t know right now.”

Clippers point guard Chris Paul figures this game will indeed give the Clippers an idea of how far they’ve come since getting off to a slow start.

“It’ll show us where we are as of Dec. 18,” he said. “But they’re a team that’s always a good test for anybody because they’re not going to beat themselves, you have to beat them.”

Speaking of differentials, the Clippers’ is 2.1.