Rowan Kavner
LOS ANGELES – Bingo!
On Ralph Lawler night at STAPLES Center, the legendary broadcaster could shout any number of “Lawler-isms” as he watched DeAndre Jordan soar up for lob after lob in an 89-76 win against the Timberwolves.
“The guys were looking for me,” Jordan said. “I didn’t do it by myself. They found me. Some of it was just being in the right place at the right time.”
The typical Chris Paul to Jordan lob and finish was in full effect, helping Jordan accumulate 20 points. There was more lobbing than driving for Paul, who fought through a banged up knee to dish out 15 assists.
“Chris wasn’t able to be as explosive on offense, so he was definitely looking for me on a lot of the shots he usually shoots,” Jordan said.
It was Jordan and J.J. Redick, who had a team-high 26 points, leading the way offensively for the Clippers. They each knocked down 10 field goals apiece. Three of those baskets for Redick came from behind the arc, and the Clippers’ 11-2 advantage in 3-pointers played a key role in the outcome. The Clippers are now 30-9 when hitting at least as many 3-pointers as their opponent.
With Blake Griffin and Jamal Crawford out, Redick knew his opportunities would go up. He’s scored at least 18 points each of the last four games, and he’s getting more attempts. He hadn’t taken more than 16 shots in a game this season before taking 27 last Wednesday against Portland and 19 tonight against Minnesota.
“I was joking the day of the Portland game with Matt (Barnes) and Jamal in the morning, I don’t think I’d ever taken more than 19 shots in a game,” Redick said. “I knew Jamal was going to be out, I knew Matt was going to be out, they were both like, ‘Yeah, you’re going to have to shoot 20 or 25 shots. That’s just the way our team is right now… I have to pick up the slack where other guys are down.”
He’s done just that, and it hasn’t gone unnoticed.
“Without Blake and Jamal, the movement and the shots for him are huge for us,” said head coach Doc Rivers. “We need it. Even when he doesn’t create points with his shot, he creates it with his movement and it gets other guys shot. He’s so important to our team.”
That movement helped open things up for the Clippers’ guards and forwards to slash into the lane for points. It also opened things up inside for Jordan, who’s well aware of Redick’s effect on the game.
“JJ’s been great all season,” Jordan said. “He draws a lot of double-teams, and the big guys get a lot of our shots because of him.”
The Timberwolves jumped out to a six-point lead in the second quarter when the Clippers picked up the pace, going on a 16-2 run sparked by 3-pointers from Nate Robinson and Austin Rivers, and they never looked back.
The Clippers led by nine at halftime and increased that lead to 12 after three quarters, sitting comfortably the rest of the way by holding the Timberwolves to 37.3 percent shooting to snap a two-game losing skid.
LAWLER NIGHT
The legendary voice of the Clippers recognizes star performances on his broadcasts every night. This time, the Clippers returned the favor.
Throughout the game, the Clippers’ players voiced their appreciation for broadcaster Ralph Lawler in taped pieces on the video board. Clippers alumni joined Lawler at halftime for a ceremony dedicated to him, during which Lawler was presented with a jersey, thanked everyone for the special night and got a standing ovation from the crowd.
“I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve this,” Lawler said to the crowd at halftime. “I just show up to work every day. It’s my pleasure, believe me. Thank you all so much.”
Former Clippers Corey Maggette, Norm Nixon, Gary Grant, Olden Polynice, Pooh Richardson, Keyon Dooling, Derek Anderson Cuttino Mobley, John Williams, Lamond Murray, Marques Johnson, Brian Taylor and coach Gene Shue were on hand to celebrate Lawler’s night, which ended in a Clippers victory.
It was special for everyone who knew Lawler, including head coach Doc Rivers, who thought Lawler deserved the occasion. Rivers said when he first took the job with the Clippers, he wanted to build tradition and looked through the retired players to think about what jerseys to retire.
“Then I started looking at the rosters, and the only guy on the thing was Ralph,” Rivers said. “He really will be the first, I think that’s the guarantee whenever we get around to retiring someone’s jersey. The first one will be a microphone or a mustache or something. We have to retire something. He deserves it. He’s been terrific.”
Rivers’ experience with Lawler goes way beyond his current stint as the Clippers’ head coach.
“I’ve known him even longer,” Rivers said. “I played here in ’91. I actually was injured for one game and I did the play-by-play with Ralph, which was a lot of fun for me. He’s very special, not only for the Clippers, but for the league.”
