Chris Paul is feeling lonely as he heads to All-Star weekend

Chris Paul will be the only Clipper playing in the All-Star game this weekend in Toronto.

Feb. 11, 2016 4:38 PM PT

Reporting from Toronto — Chris Paul enjoyed being around Blake Griffin at All-Star weekend for more than the lobs Griffin would snatch in midair and jam into the basket.

There was also the kind of banter that flows only between teammates.

“Usually, my locker’s next to his,” Paul said Wednesday night, a few moments before the Clippers point guard departed for Toronto to prepare for the All-Star game Sunday at the Air Canada Centre. “I’ve always got somebody to talk to if you don’t want to talk to some of the other guys. It’s going to be one of my first times without a teammate.”

Paul was accompanied by then-teammate David West during Paul’s first two trips to the All-Star game while playing for the New Orleans Hornets and Griffin in each of their first four seasons together with the Clippers.

That streak will end Sunday after Griffin punched a team assistant equipment manager last month in Toronto. The altercation resulted in Griffin breaking his hand and being left off the All-Star roster for the first time in his six NBA seasons even though he was clearly playing at an All-Star level, averaging 23.2 points, 8.7 rebounds and 5.0 assists while shooting 50.8%.

The number that undoubtedly stood out in the mind of fans who voted for the All-Star starters and coaches who picked the reserves was 30, Griffin’s game total this season because of the broken hand and a previous quadriceps injury. That’s too few in their minds to deserve inclusion with other players having appeared in more than 50 games.

Griffin was surely disappointed in being left out, but his omission probably ranks low on the list of his concerns. He is recovering from the hand injury, which is expected to sideline him until March, and must serve a four-game suspension mandated by the Clippers for his role in the incident with the equipment manager.

“I think that’s the least of his worries, is the All-Star game,” Clippers center DeAndre Jordan said. “I don’t think that’s a concern.”

The Clippers have gone 18-5 without Griffin, largely because Paul has played like not just an All-Star but almost at most-valuable-player level. Paul has averaged 21.1 points and 9.9 assists over his last 23 games, a considerable uptick over his averages of 17.7 points and 8.9 assists before Griffin was sidelined.

“It’s great,” Jordan said of the 30-year-old Paul. “He’s old, so there’s a lot of wear on his body. He wills himself through a lot of stuff — injures, fatigue — and it’s good to have a guy like that on your team.”

Paul’s playing time has become an issue over the last week, particularly since backup guard Austin Rivers was sidelined Feb. 5 by a broken left hand. Paul played the entire second half and all of overtime Wednesday against the Boston Celtics, piling up a season-high 47 minutes during the Clippers’ 139-134 loss.

Clippers guards J.J. Redick and Lance Stephenson were each briefly sidelined by ankle injuries and Coach Doc Rivers seemed reluctant to insert reserve Pablo Prigioni after halftime.

Paul was spectacular until late in the game. He did not score over the final 8:48 of regulation and missed two free throws in overtime, rendering his 35 points, 13 assists and three steals largely meaningless.

“After a while you’re just like, man, win the game,” Paul said. “There isn’t a point in playing all these minutes if you don’t win.”

Doc Rivers said he regretted Paul’s heavy usage.

“I should have taken him out,” Rivers said. “That’s too many minutes. He had it going so well he wanted to stay in, so I just left him in the game.”

The Clippers could ease Paul’s load and try to add another backup point guard after the All-Star break.

It won’t be much of a break for Paul, the nine-time All-Star who hopped on a plane along with a handful of Clippers staffers not long after speaking with reporters late Wednesday night.

“What break, you know what I mean?” Paul said. “Go straight to All-Star and there’s three [regular-season] games Thursday after All-Star and guess what, we’re one of them. It is what it is.”

The last time Paul headed to Toronto, Griffin was on the same flight and nearing a return from his quadriceps injury. Now Griffin’s status is far more unclear other than the certainty he won’t be around to catch passes and provide a friendly face for Paul on Sunday.

“It’s going to be weird,” Paul said. “I was thinking about that earlier.”

[email protected]

Twitter: @latbbolch