Rowan Kavner
CHARLOTTE – Chris Paul said he could see on Austin Rivers’ face in the locker room before Wednesday’s game how focused the backup guard looked.
Rivers proceeded to score 22 points in 20 minutes, Paul Pierce drilled back-to-back 3-pointers to get the Clippers out to their early lead, and the new-look, smaller lineups for both the starters and backups thrived again as the Clippers earned their fourth straight win.
“It just seems like we’re rolling now,” Rivers said.
Once Rivers returned from an ankle injury to play in Washington, D.C., Doc Rivers could utilize a three-guard backup unit he had wanted to try out.
Austin said he needed a game to get his rhythm back, but even while shaking off the rust, the three-guard lineup alongside Pablo Prigioni and Jamal Crawford thrived against the Wizards. Crawford scored 21 points and each of those three players finished at least plus-seven that night, joining Cole Aldrich and Wesley Johnson in playing vital roles in the starters getting to rest late.
This came a game after the starting unit went small itself. Pierce didn’t start the game in Utah, but he joined the starters as they took the floor in the second half en route to a 20-point night with five 3-pointers.
Adding Pierce to the starting unit spaced the floor and created open looks from deep, while the three-guard backup group did much of the same. Doc Rivers said both groups may only be possible against certain smaller lineups, but the new looks worked masterfully again Wednesday in Charlotte, as the Clippers led all night.
“It’s been great,” Crawford said. “Obviously it’s a small sample size, but just the spacing’s really good. Having three guards out there to attack so to speak or make plays I think is always good, you see more teams doing it.”
Doc Rivers said Wednesday was a tough night to use the smaller backup lineups against a team featuring twos and threes with size, and he nearly pulled the plug on it.
But he decided to gamble, and it paid off.
“It’s a game of chicken,” Doc Rivers said. “If it had affected us, we were going to vacate it, and we were ready. We almost pushed the button once, and I’m glad we didn’t.”
Austin Rivers said he likes the smaller look defensively because with three guards, the Clippers are capable of switching constantly. Then offensively, everything gets simplified.
“Pablo’s going to come off, make plays and passes and then me and Jamal attack,” he said. “It’s just real simple.”
The Clippers wasted no time showing what Austin Rivers was talking about.
Austin entered the game with Prigioni after the Hornets cut a double-digit lead down to three in the first quarter, and the ball movement that ensued allowed him to hit two 3-pointers in less than a minute, immediately pushing the lead back to double digits.
“When they come in and make early shots with the quickness of Pablo, Austin and Jamal, then the floor gets big for them and they can attack the basket,” Doc Rivers said.
Pierce added three first-half 3-pointers, working off the movement created by Paul and J.J. Redick to find wide open looks toward the top of the key. Meanwhile, much like he did in Utah, Redick continued to stay hot from deep, finishing 5-for-6 from 3-point range.
The ball-handling and spacing on both units prevented the Hornets from ever even tying the game. Redick hit a 3-pointer when the Hornets cut the Clippers’ lead to two early in the third quarter, and later in the quarter when the Hornets did it again, Prigioni answered with another long-range hit.
“The biggest takeaway the last three games has just been other guys kind of getting opportunities and taking advantage of that, specifically Pablo and Cole,” Redick said. “Those guys weren’t in the rotation five or six days ago, and they’ve been fantastic.”
Prigioni was a game-best plus-10 on the floor. When the Hornets cut the Clippers’ lead to one in the fourth quarter, the new-look backup unit responded with a 14-3 run, allowing the Clippers’ starters to rest more than seven minutes to start the fourth, which is an added positive in recent nights as the Clippers try to survive without Blake Griffin.
“They’re just playing with the right spirit,” Doc Rivers said. “You can see it. You can see the ball moving, and they’re so active defensively.”