Rowan Kavner
PLAYA VISTA, Calif. – The Clippers snapped their skid, beating Detroit without Chris Paul (groin) and J.J. Redick (back spasms) after losing four of five games.
Here are the resulting power rankings from NBA.com, ESPN.com, SI.com, CBSSports.com and BleacherReport.com after last week’s action, along with a brief explanation for the Clippers’ position. Note that each publication updates its picks at different times. Click on the ranking under each publication to see the full explanations.
NBA.com
Clippers No. 5 (Last week No. 5) – “A big second half from Blake Griffin and Jamal Crawford helped the Clippers get a win over Detroit on Saturday while keeping Chris Paul and J.J. Redick on the shelf until (at least) Thursday’s rematch with the champs. But defense has been an issue, especially in the second half of games…”
ESPN.com
Clippers No. 6 (Last week No. 7) – “With Chris Paul and J.J. Redick ailing and a recent 1-4 skid to cope with, Blake Griffin’s ridiculous start continues to be undercovered. Steph Curry (35.54) and Blake (31.11) are the only players in the league with a PER over 30, while Grififn is quietly shooting 76.1 percent at the FT line…”
SI.com
Clippers No. 9 (Last week No. 6) – “These guys are dinged up and could really use Chris Paul and J.J. Redick back for Thursday’s grudge match with the Warriors. Luckily, they’ve got three off days to recover…”
CBSSports.com
Clippers No. 6 (Last week No. 4) – “They’re in a bind with injuries to Chris Paul and J.J. Redick. They also should’ve won the Mavericks game anyway, and keep throwing themselves in front of a train trying to get officials to call the game how they want…”
BleacherReport.com
*Clippers No. 7 (Last week No. 3) *Last updated prior to Detroit win – “You don’t have to look hard for ways to excuse the Los Angeles Clippers’ recent skid. They’ve lost four of their last five, sure, but consider the underlying circumstances…”
