Cassell adjusts to reduced role

It was only the first game of the season and Sam Cassell already found himself in unfamiliar territory.

The Clippers were going down to the wire Friday with the Golden State Warriors.

Normally, Cassell time.

But Cassell, the veteran point guard, was on the bench the entire fourth quarter as Coach Mike Dunleavy played defense-minded point guard Brevin Knight.

Cassell knows it was only the opening game. And the Clippers got a win. But still. . . .

“First time ever in my career, I wasn’t out on the court and didn’t play in the fourth quarter,” he said before Sunday’s game.

Cassell played five minutes in the fourth quarter Sunday against the Seattle SuperSonics.

Knight sat out the quarter after getting bruised in the nose when teammate Cuttino Mobley’s arm accidentally hit him. Afterward, he said he would be able to play Tuesday against the Chicago Bulls.

Dunleavy said he would like to keep Cassell in the 20-minutes range and the flow of the game would dictate which point guard ended it.

“That’s what we are looking at,” Dunleavy said. “Depending on certain nights, things can change. But ultimately somewhere in the 20s for Sam is the right number.”

By not overextending the soon-to-be 38-year-old Cassell early in the season, Dunleavy said, it would allow him to be more rested as it wears on.

Cassell played 23 minutes against the Warriors on Friday, making three of seven shots.

“I think that was too low for me, definitely,” he said of his playing time.

Cassell said he is physically sound after assorted injuries caused him to miss 24 games last year.

If his role is to help the team earlier in the game, Cassell said he would adjust. But he has made a career out of being a clutch player down the stretch.

“The one thing I know I can do is, I know I can make shots in the fourth quarter,” he said.

“Who’s that?” forward Aaron Williams asked walking into the Clippers’ locker room.

It was Al Thornton, the team’s first first-round draft choice, already sporting a new look. Out with the short afro. In with the cornrows.

“I needed to do something,” said Thornton, who scored four points in 12 minutes against the SuperSonics. “I got tired of the fro.”

jonathan.abrams@latimes.com