J.J. Redick sits out again for Clippers because of his balky back - Los Angeles Times

J.J. Redick sits out again for Clippers because of his balky back

Clippers guard J.J. Redick has missed three consecutive games because of back spasms.

Staff Writer

Nov. 19, 2015 11:05 PM PT

J.J. Redick certainly looked like someone preparing to play when the Clippers held their morning shoot-around Thursday.

The shooting guard aggressively cut, stopped and pulled up for jumpers during the portion of drills that the media was allowed to observe. He showed no visible signs of discomfort from the back spasms that had sidelined him the previous 2 1/2 games and conferred with trainer Jasen Powell inside the team’s practice facility before walking off the court.

Alas, Redick was wearing a dark suit when the Clippers tipped off against the Golden State Warriors several hours later at Staples Center.

Clippers Coach Doc Rivers said that the team wanted to be conservative with Redick because he was dealing with his back, something that also forced him to sit out a handful of games last season.

“The thing with the back, you always have it,” Rivers said earlier in the week. “It can always come back.”

Jamal Crawford replaced Redick in the starting lineup for a second consecutive game.

Let threedom ring?

The Clippers entered the game against the Warriors ranked No. 3 in the NBA in scoring, averaging 105.1 points per game. It had surprisingly little to do with their threes.

They were shooting 31.1% from three-point range entering Thursday, putting them in 25th place in the league. Only Redick (44.4%), Wesley Johnson (36.8%) and Lance Stephenson (33.3%) were at or above the 33.3% accuracy threshold generally considered acceptable in NBA circles.

Those particularly struggling from long range included Josh Smith (27.8%), Paul Pierce (26.5%) and Pablo Prigioni (16.7%).

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Clippers guard Austin Rivers tries to steal the ball from Warriors guard Ian Clark as he drives down the lane between Rivers and forward Josh Smith.

(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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Warriors forward Draymond Green celebrates after scoring against the Clippers in the fourth quarter.

(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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Warriors point guard Stephan Curry celebrates late in the fourth quarter during a 124-117 win over the Clippers this season.

(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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Clippers forward Blake Griffin drives down the lane against Warriors center Festus Ezeli during a Nov. 19 game at Staples Center.

(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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Warriors interim Coach Luke Walton waits for a referee’s call during a timeout against the Clippers.

(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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Clippers’ Chris Paul makes a basket while being fouled by Warriors’ Jason Thompson at the Staples Center on Thursday.

(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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Clippers forward Blake Griffin has the ball stripped away by Warriors forward Draymond Green during a Nov. 19 game at Staples Center.

(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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Clippers’ DeAndre Jordan is fouled by Warriors’ Jason Thompson at the Staples Center on Thursday.

(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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Clippers’ Chris Paul steals the ball from the Warriors’ Stephen Curry during the first quarter Thursday.

(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin reacts to a foul call during the first half against the Golden State Warriors on Thursday.

(Mark J. Terrill / AP)

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Clippers’ Chris Paul vies for the ball with Warriors’ Steph Curry during the game on Thursday.

(FREDERIC J. BROWN / AFP/Getty Images)

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Clippers’ Chris Paul looks to pass under pressure from Warriors’ Stephen Curry during an NBA game on Thursday.

(FREDERIC J. BROWN / AFP/Getty Images)

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Golden State Warriors center Marreese Speights, right, shoots as Los Angeles Clippers forward Josh Smith defends during the first half on Thursday.

(Mark J. Terrill / AP)

“I know we’re getting good ones overall,” Rivers said of his team’s three-point looks. “I think our ball movement will allow us to get better ones.”

There had been a recent uptick, with the Clippers making 38.9% of their three-pointers in the three games immediately preceding Thursday. It carried over against the Warriors, with the Clippers making their first five three-pointers and x of x overall.

“We’re one of the best offensive teams in the league,” guard Austin Rivers said before the game, “so whether our three-pointers are on or not, we’re still going to score.”

Developing situation

Clippers second-year shooting guard C.J. Wilcox ranked among the leading scorers in the Development League after averaging 23.3 points in his first three games with the Bakersfield Jam. Wilcox also is averaging 4.7 three-pointers made per game on 45.2% shooting from beyond the arc.

Clippers rookie forward Branden Dawson was averaging 8.5 points and 4.5 rebounds with the Jam. Rivers said there was no immediate plan for Wilcox and Dawson to rejoin the Clippers.

More to Read

Ben Bolch has been a Los Angeles Times staff writer since 1999. He is serving his second stint as the UCLA beat writer, which seems fitting since he has covered almost every sports beat except hockey and horse racing. Bolch is also the author of the recently released book “100 Things UCLA Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die.” He previously covered UCLA basketball from 2010-11 before going on to cover the NBA and the Clippers for five years. He happily traded in gobs of hotel points and airline miles to return to cover UCLA basketball and football in the summer of 2016. Bolch was once selected by NBA TV’s “The Starters” as the “Worst of the Week” after questioning their celebrity journalism-style questions at an NBA All-Star game and considers it one of his finer moments.

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