TV: ESPN
- Clippers forward Blake Griffin will start tonight against the visiting Spurs despite a burst bursa sac in his right elbow, coach Vinny Del Negro confirmed. Griffin played through a similar injury the last two seasons, but this one has been more painful. Griffin, who averaged better than 20 points and 10 rebounds his first two seasons in the NBA, is averaging 16.3 points and 8.1 rebounds through the first four games this season. Del Negro also said Griffin is dealing with a stiff neck that originated during Monday’s loss to the visiting Cavaliers.
- It’s only four games into the season for both teams, but Spurs forward Tim Duncan is playing as if he’s still in his prime. The 36-year-old future Hall of Famer is averaging a team-leading 19.3 points— the same number he averaged in back-to-back seasons from 2007 to 2009—and 10.3 rebounds. He’s even averaging more minutes than the last three seasons (31.3). Duncan and Griffin figure to match up early in this game. It’ll be interesting to see if the veteran tests out Griffin’s sore elbow.
- How much playing time Spurs forward DeJuan Blair gets tonight could be anyone’s guess. He did not appear in the two of the first three games this season, then played a team-high 29 minutes Monday night in a 101-79 victory against visiting Indiana, totaling 14 points and 11 rebounds. A starter for most of the past three seasons, Blair played a total of just three minutes in a four-game sweep of the Clippers last May in the second round of the playoffs. Finding a matchup on the Clippers that fits the undersized forward could be difficult for coach Gregg Popovich.
–Dan Arritt
