Clippers’ Jordan Farmar has best game of season against Pistons

Jordan Farmar has struggled this season to find his game.

He had his best game as a Clipper on Monday night, scoring a season-high 15 points on six-for-12 shooting and getting five assists in 23 minutes of play.

The backup point guard has averaged only 4.8 points and 1.9 assists in 15 minutes a game this season, well below his career averages of 7.8 points, 2.9 assists and 19.6 minutes.

After the game, Clippers Coach Doc Rivers gave Farmar credit not only for his performance offensively, but for his effort on the defensive end.

“I believe the point guard sets the tone and when your second-unit point guard can come in and do that defensively then good things will happen,” Rivers said. “I thought that was the difference in the game.”

Farmar said playing limited minutes this season has been challenging and acknowledged that he’s struggled to find a rhythm.

“You take one or two shots a game,” Farmar said. “If they go in, you had a good game. If they don’t, you struggle. It’s tough.”

Starting point guard Chris Paul said that Farmar seemed more relaxed Monday than he’s been all season.

“Jordan has been trying to pick his spots, and I think tonight he just played a lot freer,” Paul said. “He was aggressive and it was fun to watch.”

Farmar said that he’s just trying to stay optimistic and play his game.

“There’s a lot of ups and downs throughout the season,” he said. “You just have to stay ready, stay mentally tough and continue to work.”