Los Angeles Clippers VS Phoenix Suns
Where: US Airways Center in Phoenix, AZ
When: Friday, April 1st, 2010 @ 7:00PM
TV:
Radio: KFWB News Talk 980
Previous Meetings:
11/26: Suns over Clippers 108-116, Game Thread
12/26: Clippers over Suns 108-103, Game Thread
3/20: Suns over Clippers 99-108, Game Thread
PG: #25 - Mo Williams SG: #10 - Eric Gordon
SF: #15 - Ryan Gomes PF: #32 - Blake Griffin
C: #9 - DeAndre Jordan
Key Reserves
Eric Bledsoe / Randy Foye / Farouq Aminu / Craig Smith
PG: #0- Aaron Brooks SG: #3 - Jared Dudley
SF: #33 - Grant Hill PF: #8 - Channing Frye
C: #4 - Marcin Gortat
Key Reserves
Vince Carter / Josh Childress / Hakim Warrick / Robin Lopez
Inactive List:
Chris Kaman (Viral Infection) and Ryan Gomes (Knee) are out.
Steve Nash (Flu-like Symptoms) and Mikael Pietrus (Right Quad/Knee) are out.
Team Leaders
Eric Gordon - 23.0 Points & 1.2 Steals
Blake Griffin - 12.1 Rebounds (4th)
Mo Williams - 6.8 Assists
DeAndre Jordan - 1.8 Blocks (10th)
Steve Nash - 15.3 Points, 11.4 Assists (1st)
Marcin Gortatl - 7.6 Rebounds & 1.2 Blocks
Jared Dudley - 1.0 Steals
Clippers still coming up short at small forwardCoach Vinny Del Negro sighed when the subject was broached once again Thursday after practice. The Clippers, who play at the Phoenix Suns on Friday, have seven games remaining, five on the road.
One thing Del Negro is considering: shutting small down forward Ryan Gomes for the rest of the season.
"Ryan's been battling his knee for a couple of months," Del Negro said. "He's got some swelling in his knee. Had an MRI last week on it. There's nothing structurally wrong, but he's just been battling through it.
"We're trying to get Al-Farouq [Aminu] some minutes and Jamario [Moon] some minutes and obviously we've played Randy [Foye] with the three-guard offense."Del Negro planned on holding additional discussions with Gomes before making a decision.
"I'm going to think about it today. We've talked a lot lately and will see where he's at," Del Negro said. "I know he's frustrated with some stuff. We probably relied on him too much. It's been difficult. He's not used to starting as much as he has and playing the minutes he has. So that's been a different situation for him. …
"Being a starter in this league, and being a role player, coming off the bench, is two different responsibilities. You're playing against top-tier guys instead of second-tier guys."
The interesting thing is that Del Negro said he would probably start Moon, not Aminu, if Gomes ended up sitting out.
Lisa Dillman, LA Times
The Washington Wizards' John Wall and the Los Angeles Clippers' Blake Griffin today were named the Eastern and Western Conference T-Mobile Rookies of the Month, respectively, for games played through March.
Wall ranked third among all rookies in scoring (18.1 ppg), first in assists (7.3 apg) and first in steals (1.67 spg). He became the first Washington rookie to record at least 32 points, 10 assists and five rebounds in a game since Earl Monroe in 1968.
Griffin led all rookies in scoring (20.5 ppg), rebounding (10.4 rpg) and tied for second in assists (4.3 apg). He is the only player in the league averaging at least 20 points, 12 rebounds and three assists.Blake Griffin, LA Clippers
March 7 @ Charlotte: Had 17 points, 15 rebounds and three assists in a 92-87 victory over the Bobcats.
March 19 vs. Cleveland: Tallied 30 points, eight rebounds and eight assists in a 100-92 win over the Cavaliers.
March 23 vs. Washington: Posted a triple-double with 33 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists in a 127-119 victory over the Wizards.
March 26 vs. Toronto: Tallied 22 points, 16 rebounds and five assists in a 94-90 win over the Raptors.
Other nominees for the Eastern and Western Conference T-Mobile Rookies of the Month were Detroit's Greg Monroe, Houston's Patrick Patterson, Sacramento's DeMarcus Cousins and Washington's Jordan Crawford.
NBA.com
