Clippers coach Doc Rivers faces challenging season

When asked if this was his most challenging season in five years as coach of the Clippers, Doc Rivers didn’t hesitate.

“Oh, definitely as a Clipper coach,” Rivers acknowledged.

His team started the season 4-0 and then fell down hard. The Clippers went through a nine-game losing streak before winning two heading into Monday night’s game against the Lakers at Staples Center.

In the middle of it all, the Clippers saw point guard Patrick Beverley go down with season-ending right knee surgery. Starting small forward Danilo Gallinari is out with a strained left glute and starting guard Milos Teodosic is out with a plantar fascia injury to his left foot.

Then Blake Griffin went down with a left knee injury late in Monday night’s win. He’ll be evaluated Tuesday to determine the extent of the injury.

The Clippers won 50-plus games in each of Rivers’ first four seasons, topping out at 57-25 during his first season in 2013-14. Last season they lost Griffin to minor surgery on his right knee in December and went 10-8 without him. But that was a team with more firepower.

Chris Paul forced his way to the Houston Rockets over the summer via trade. J.J. Redick signed with the Philadelphia 76ers and Jamal Crawford was traded.

The Clippers ended up with nine new players and it hasn’t been easy.

“Right now, you’re just trying to build a good basketball team,” Rivers said before Monday’s game. “We started out like we were going to and then all this happens. I just know that there is another day. There’s a next day and you coach to that day. You got to coach your guys to believe that and that’s how I’ve always been.

“I’ve gone through far worse as a coach. … With this group right now, let’s get healthy and let’s see what we’ve got. But I love coaching the young guys, too. It’s nice that they get to play.”

Winning in face of adversity

The last two road wins gave Griffin a sense that this team can compete. He liked what he saw at both Atlanta and Sacramento.

“We can play with anybody,” Griffin said before Monday’s game. “I think in the last 11 games we’ve had, we’ve really only have not been in maybe two of them, at least in the fourth quarter or last five minutes. So we can play with anybody no matter how banged up we are. The next man just has to just step up.”

On Monday that was Lou Williams, who scored the Clippers’ final eight points and finished with a season-high 42. But the 120-115 win was little consolation to an injured Griffin.

“He’s not in high spirits,” Rivers said. “He’s down. Right now, he’s where we are at, hoping that it was just a bang and then it hurt and then he’ll be all right. But his spirits are down right now, yeah.”

broderick.turner@latimes.com

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