Clippers dealing with injuries
All the injuries are starting to become an issue for the Clippers.
It has affected their depth, made them smaller and forced players to play out of position.
Backup small forward Matt Barnes was the first to go down on the three-game trip. He has been suffering from a bruised right thigh and has not played in the first two games.
Starting small forward Jared Dudley has been dealing with tendinitis in his right knee. Though he has played with the pain, Dudley said it bothered him more against the Miami Heat on Thursday night.
With Barnes out and Dudley hurting, it meant that the 6-3 Willie Green had to play some backup small forward and had to defend the 6-8, 260-pound LeBron James.
But there were also times when power forward Blake Griffin was forced to defend James because Dudley was out resting and Green was just too small.
“It hurts us, but everybody has injuries,” Clippers Coach Doc Rivers said. “And I don’t ever worry about it, really. It’s just a tough stretch for us with the injury thing, especially with Dudley not being 100%.“
Dudley said he’ll get treatment and that he’ll play against the Houston Rockets on Saturday night.
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