Clippers’ DeAndre Jordan is effective in fourth quarter

Normally, DeAndre Jordan doesn’t play much in the fourth quarter of games for the Clippers.

But against the Lakers on Sunday, Jordan was a factor in the fourth.

Jordan played 4 minutes 13 seconds in the final quarter. He had just two points. But he had four rebounds and played a big role in defending Dwight Howard.

“I was really just trying to stay active,” Jordan said. “I was running the floor, get as many rebounds as possible, fight Dwight, fight the catch and just force him to take some tough shots.”

BOX SCORE: Clippers 109, Lakers 95

It helped to keep Jordan in the game because the 6-foot-11 Howard was on the court a lot for the Lakers.

Howard finished with 25 points and just four rebounds. He had five points in the fourth quarter.

“I like playing against guys like that,” Jordan said. “He’s going to bring it every time down the court. He’s a fast ‘big’ like us. He runs the floor, he’s strong. So you know you’ve got to bring it. Guys like that always make you push to that next level.”

For the game, Jordan played 28:38 and had four points and 13 rebounds.

“I thought DJ was very active, especially with his 13 rebounds,” said Clippers Coach Vinny Del Negro. “He made a big impact on the game, no question.”

Billups not planning to retire

Despite all of the injuries that have limited Chauncey Billups to 20 games this season, the Clippers starting guard said “no” when asked whether he had given thought to retiring after the season.

Billups sat out his eighth consecutive game because of a strained right groin, and he has no timetable for a return.

He sat out the first 14 games of the season recovering from left Achilles’ tendon surgery. Then Billups missed 34 games because of tendinitis in his left foot and one game because of a sore lower back.

“When I was trying to come back, they [the doctors] told me that this year would be tough,” Billups said. “I knew I would have a lot of knickknack injuries just so my body could recalibrate. And the following season, I could be 100% back to myself. So I was ready for the fight. That’s why these setbacks, these small ones, they don’t take the toll on me because I already had this set.”

Billups is 36 and has been playing in the NBA for 16 years.

But he still is respected by his teammates for his abilities.

“Now next year, if I have a year like this, where I just can’t get right, then I’ll think about retirement,” Billups said. “But I know that the times I have been healthy this year, I can still have a major effect in this league doing what I do. So it’s just a matter of my body getting healthy.”

broderick.turner@latimes.com

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