Injuries test team’s depth at point guard

Welcome to the land of the vanishing point guard . . .

One didn’t make it into the game, and his replacement in the starting lineup didn’t get out of the first half unscathed on Friday night at US Airways Center.

This is about the latest injured Clippers, Baron Davis and Jason Hart. The slumping Davis, who has been ailing because of a bruised tailbone, was on hand but did not play. In the last eight games, Davis had been shooting 27.3% from the field and averaging 13.9 points.

He is considered doubtful for Sunday’s game against the Detroit Pistons at Staples Center. In other words, it would be a surprise if he played against the Pistons or any time soon.

Day-to-day has an uncanny way of turning into longer periods of time, especially with the Clippers’ woeful record and not much on the line.

“We’ll just have to see. He’s tried to play with it and got banged up,” Clippers Coach Mike Dunleavy said on Friday before the game against the Suns.

“It’s been bothering him on and off since the Denver game [in November] when he took the fall on it. Then he went into a camera the other night in Sacramento.”

Not the sort of close-up Davis or the Clippers wanted.

Hart was put in the starting lineup and played nine minutes of the first quarter, and made a brief appearance in the second quarter before leaving the game for good because of right elbow tendinitis. He had one assist, one rebound and one turnover.

Dunleavy had planned on using Mardy Collins and newcomer Fred Jones at the point guard position even before Hart’s injury.

Quote time

Dunleavy, on the Clippers’ rash of misfortune: “The bus got here.”

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lisa.dillman@latimes.com