Clippers turn to Luc Mbah a Moute in small forward starter auditions

Clippers forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (12) in the second half of a game against the Nuggets

Staff Writer

Nov. 29, 2015 8:09 PM PT

Seventeen games into the season, the Clippers have now used eight different lineups as they gave Luc Mbah a Moute his first start of the season Sunday.

And despite there being a core to those lineups — guards J.J. Redick and Chris Paul, center DeAndre Jordan and power forward Blake Griffin are in their third season together — the revolving door at small forward remains a problem.

“Each guy’s kind of had their moments,” Redick said of the four players Coach Doc Rivers has auditioned to replace Matt Barnes, who started 74 games last season before being traded over the summer. “We’d love to have a consistent starting lineup. But it seems like it’s game to game right now.”

Mbah a Moute, a UCLA product from Cameroon, played more than 23 minutes Sunday, scoring seven points. He was also on the floor down the stretch, contributing a crucial steal in the final moments to help the Clippers hang on for the 107-99 win over Minnesota.

“It was big,” Rivers said of the play. “You go by what you need at the time. We had the lead so we needed stops. That’s why he’s out on the floor.”

Early risers

Sunday’s game was the Clippers’ third 12:30 p.m. tipoff in 11 home games. And with seven more on the schedule, the team will start nearly a quarter of its home games at midday this season.

No other NBA team will start more than three games before 1 p.m.

Rivers said he hated early games when he was a player because it was difficult to get into a rhythm.

“I just felt like as player — and it doesn’t matter home or road — that you can’t catch up. If you start off bad, by the time you wake up, the game’s over,” said Rivers, whose team has won two of its three matinees this season. “Having said that, we do a lot of them. So I think we should better at them.

“And because we do a lot of them, I think it should be an advantage for us. And it hasn’t been.”

Teachable moment

Rivers coached Minnesota forward Kevin Garnett for six seasons in Boston and believes the 15-time All-Star, who signed a multiyear deal with the Timberwolves last summer, is the perfect piece for a team already ahead of schedule on its rebuilding process.

“Kevin, when he was with us in that first year, never missed a practice,” Rivers said. “It just sends a message. Kevin did it to an insane state. Even when you took him out of practice, he would mock whatever the guy was doing on the floor. If the guy jumped, he would jump. The guy ran, he would run on the sidelines.

“He didn’t know how to slow down. But that leadership was awesome for our young guys.”

In Minnesota, Garnett has already become a mentor for rookie center Karl-Anthony Towns — although Towns probably didn’t learn a lot Sunday, as Garnett didn’t score after getting in foul trouble early and playing less than 16 minutes.

“Kevin would be a terrific coach, a terrific teacher,” Rivers said. “It’s a good thing for a young guy to have Kevin teaching him.”

Etc.

Jordan’s struggles with free throws took a turn for the worse Sunday when he put up a pair of air balls from the line with 20 seconds left in the first half. Jordan missed his first five foul shots and as was three for 12 on the day.

1/8

Clippers forward Blake Griffin grabs a loose ball in front of Timberwolves forward Andrew Wiggins in the first half Sunday.