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REDICK OUT AGAINST HEAT

LOS ANGELES – Clippers guard J.J. Redick will not play Wednesday against the Miami Heat due to a sore right hip.

"I pulled him out of shootaround today," Clippers head coach Doc Rivers said. "He just didn't look like he could go."

Redick has played through several nagging injuries over the last two weeks, including his hip, right shoulder, left knee and lower back. He missed most the first half in Toronto on Feb. 25 with back spasms, but returned to the game to score 16 points in the second half, including making two key shots down the stretch.

After that game he said he was “frustrated” with the injuries because of how much preventative maintenance he puts in throughout the season and offseason. It was a sentiment he reiterated Wednesday.  

“I’m working through some stuff,” Redick said. “My main thing right now is just trying to get healthy, but there’s not a lot of turnaround time in the NBA. So, if you have a small thing, kinetic changes take over and one small thing can begat another nagging thing. It’s frustrating right now, but I’ll get through it.”  

Jamal Crawford will likey start in Redick's place Wednesday with Willie Green and perhaps newly signed veteran Sasha Vujacic seeing time as reserves. 

The Heat game will be the 22nd time Redick has been forced out of the lineup due to injury this season. He sat out 21 games from Dec. 1 to Jan. 8 while recovering from a fractured right hand and partially torn ligament in his wrist. The Clippers went 13-8 without him.

Redick, who is a full-time starter for the first time in his career, has been an integral part of the Clippers’ emergence as a top-flight offense. He is averaging a career-best 15.7 points per game, shooting 45.9 percent from the field and 39.6 percent from 3-point range.

He has played a significant role in helping the Clippers keep pace in the Western Conference since superstar Chris Paul went down with a separated shoulder two games into January. Redick scored 18 or more points in six games, including making five of his first six shots in his first game back. But lately he’s struggled shooting the ball. He’s made just nine of his last 27 shots and put up two of his five lowest scoring outputs of the season in back-to-back games. For the first time, it appeared the injuries were beginning to pile up.

The opportunity for Redick to rest may be accentuated by the All-Star break. The Clippers have four games remaining, including Wednesday, before earning a full six days off.