J.J. Redick reminds us how well second unit has played of late

Toronto Raptors' DeMar DeRozan drives to the basket against Los Angeles Clippers' Paul Pierce during first half NBA basketball action in Toronto on Sunday, Jan. 24, 2016. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)

DeMar DeRozan drives to the basket against the Clippers’ Paul Pierce in Sunday’s game at Toronto/AP photo by Frank Gunn

 

There was a lot of talk about how poorly the Clippers’ bench played during a 112-94 loss at Toronto on Sunday. Coach Doc Rivers said of his reserves, “They were awful.”

But starting shooting guard J.J. Redick was quick to remind reporters that the bench has been rather solid of late.

“It’s a team sport,” he said. “There are nights where our bench unit has been great and extended leads,  and times where we’ve gone into the fourth quarter up single digits and not had to play the fourth quarter, so they’ve done a great job for us lately and there are going to be nights like this. It just felt like one of those nights where none of them could really find that rhythm or fight to get that unit going.”

Lance Stephenson shot 4 of 4 and Austin Rivers shot 4 of 8. But Jamal Crawford was 1 of 6 from the field and Wesley Johnson was 2 of 7, all seven of his field-goal attempts coming from 3-point range.

The second unit also had nine of the team’s 13 turnovers, with Austin Rivers and Pablo Prigioni making three a piece. Prigioni only played a little over eight minutes.

Doc Rivers rips his second unit after 112-94 loss at Toronto

Toronto Raptors' Kyle Lowry drives to the basket as Los Angeles Clippers' Blake Griffin tries to block during first half NBA basketball action in Toronto on Sunday, Jan. 24, 2016. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT Photo: Frank Gunn, AP / The Canadian Press

Wesley Johnson, who plays some defense against here against the Raptors’ Kyle Lowry, did not shoot well from the field in Sunday’s loss at Toronto. He was just 2 of 7, all of his shots coming from long-distance/AP photo by Frank Gunn

 

Coach Doc Rivers on Sunday evening didn’t pull any punches when asked to assess the performance of his bench during Sunday afternoon’s 112-94 loss at Toronto.

“They were awful,” he said. “I think that’s it. It is rare when you lose by 18 points and your starters all have a plus. That doesn’t happen very often. Our bench has been good. But tonight, they were awful.”

Lance Stephenson shot 4 of 4 and and Austin Rivers shot 4 of 8. But Jamal Crawford shot 1 of 6 and Wesley Johnson was 2 of 7; all of Johnson’s field-goal attempts were from 3-point range, where the Clippers shot just 30.8 percent (8 of 26).

Also, the team had 13 turnovers. Nine of those came from the bench, six from Austin Rivers and Pablo Prigioni, both  of whom had three.

Moreover, Cole Aldrich, who has played so well for over a month, was almost a non-factor. He played 11 minutes, two two shots – made one – and had one rebound and a block.

 

 

 

They were awful, I think that’s it. It is rare when you lose by18 points and your starters all have a plus. That doesn’t happen very often. Our b

ench has been good but tonight they were awful.

Five things to take from Clippers’ 91-80 loss to Toronto Raptors

Doc Rivers is bugged about a call made during Sunday’s 91-80 loss to Toronto at Staples Center/Staff photo by Steve McCrank

 

– As good as Blake Griffin has been, he was bound to have a poor game and it came in this one. Early foul trouble limited him to just under 30 minutes and he took just 10 shots, making four and finishing with nine points. He grabbed six rebounds and doled out four assists, but also had six turnovers. Definitely, it was not his night. Griffin is averaging 24.8 points.

– Speaking of turnovers, the Clippers had 19 of them. That’s way too many. Chris Paul had three as the starters had 14 of the 19. The Raptors had 14 total.

– One interesting statistic came in the shooting percentages. The Clippers shot 39.2 percent, the Raptors just 37.2. The game was won at the free-throw line, where Toronto made an incredible 29 of 31 (93.5 percent) with the Clippers making 14 of 20 (75 percent).

DeAndre Jordan had a nice game, with 13 points, 15 rebounds and five blocks. But he was the only starter who played up to par. Paul and J.J. Redick scored 13 and 17 points, respectively, but both shot just 5 of 13.

– It didn’t help that Jamal Crawford played 29 minutes off the bench, yet made just 1 of 9 from the field – he was 0 of 6 from 3-point range. Crawford is not shooting just 28.3 percent from beyond the arc. He has a career percentage of 34.9.

BONUS TAKE – It was Josh Smith who was involved in a shouting match with an unspecified assistant coach in the locker room after the game. Perhaps anger is what this team needs to start playing well.

Clippers don’t look good in 93-73 loss to Toronto in Canada

J.J. Redick

J.J. Redick/Photo courtesy of Los Angeles Clippers

 

It’s only the exhibition season, so there is nothing to worry about at this time, but the Clippers on Sunday played the Toronto Raptors in Canada and came out on the short end of a 93-73 score.

The Clippers (1-1) shot just 38 percent (27 of 71) from the field with Blake Griffin (5 of 13) and Chris Paul (2 of 8) combining to shoot 7 of 21. The talented bench made just 10 of 35 shots with Josh Smith going 2-for-8 and Lance Stephenson going 0-for-4; Jamal Crawford shot 2 of 7.

J.J. Redick scored a team-high 15 points, Griffin had 14 and DeAndre Jordan had eight points, 10 rebounds and two blocks.

Toronto out-rebounded the Clippers 48-33.

The Raptors (1-0) were  led by 26 points from Kyle Lowry. Toronto shot 36 free throws, making 29 for 80.6 percent.

Five things to take from Clippers’ 123-107 loss Friday at Toronto

 

DeMar DeRozan of Toronto drives past Clippers’ Matt Barnes/Associated Press Photo/Canadian Press, Nathan Denette

 

– This one was a real head-shaker. Think about this: The Clippers led 30-20 with 2:33 left in the first quarter. They trailed by 24 with 5:52 to play in the game. That’s a 44-point turn-around. Once again, a clear example of the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde personality of the Clippers.

– The Clippers did not shoot poorly from the field overall, coming in at 48.7 percent. But they shot just 26.1 percent (4 of 13) from 3-point range. And since the Clippers shoot 37.4 percent from long-distance on the season – fifth in the NBA – they rely somewhat heavily on that to help them win games. The Clippers shot just 22.7 percent (5 of 22) from 3-point range against Cleveland on Thursday and 32 percent (8 of 23) from there  Monday at Brooklyn. The Clippers lost those games as well.

– This defeat marked the first time during Doc Rivers’ coaching tenure with the Clippers – comprised of 2013-14 and this season – the Clippers have lost three consecutive games. Since the Clippers next play Sunday morning at Oklahoma City – a team hungry to climb into the top eight of the Western Conference standings – keeping the losing streak to three won’t be easy.

– The Clippers were outrebounded 42-30. Really? Thirty rebounds? DeAndre Jordan, who leads the league with a 13.5 average, had just seven in 36 minutes of play. The Clippers now average 41.5 per game, which is 24th in the NBA. They gave up 42.2, giving them a differential of minus-0.7.

– The Clippers were again without shooting guard J.J. Redick, who missed his second consecutive game – also, he only played four minutes at Brooklyn – because of back spasms. Redick is a key player on this team, but he’s not one of the top guys, so don’t think his absence is the only reason why the Clippers have lost these past three games. There is more going on than that. It’s difficult to put a finger on it, but there just seems to be something missing from this team. It’s too up and down. The Clippers, incidentally, at 33-18 and now in sixth-place in the Western Conference standings. They are just a half-game ahead of seventh-place San Antonio (32-18) and just 4 1/2 games in front of eighth-place Phoenix (29-23).

Clippers beaten by 16 in Toronto after holding a 20-point lead in first quarter

Blake Griffin

Blake Griffin/Photo courtesy of Los Angeles Clippers, NBA.com

 

The Clippers on Friday night led by 20 points in the first quarter at Toronto. When the final horn sounded, they had been defeated 123-107 at Air Canada Centre in Toronto.

When Spencer Hawes made a 3-point basket with 2:33 to play in the first quarter, the Clippers led 30-20. When Toronto’s Greivis Vasquez made a 3-pointer with 5:52 to play in the game, the Raptors led by 24 points at 119-95. That’s a 44-point turn-around  in less than three quarters of play.

The Clippers (33-18) have now lost three consecutive games and four of five.

Blake Griffin led the Clippers with 26 points with nine assists and six rebounds. Chris Paul scored 22 and also had nine assists and six rebounds and Jamal Crawford scored 20.

The Clippers were again without starting shooting guard J.J. Redick (back spasms). Austin Rivers started in his place and scored 11 points with four steals and two assists.

Toronto (34-17) got 24 points from DeMar DeRozan, 21 from Kyle Lowry,18 from Louis Williams and 16 from James Johnson.