Nesby Is Back in the Lineup

Second-year swingman Tyrone Nesby was back in uniform for the Clippers Saturday night against Utah after missing two games to be with his ailing mother in Kentucky.

“She’s doing a lot better,” Nesby said of Vastie Nesby, 63, who returned to Los Angeles with her son and will remain there until the end of the season.

“She had two strokes and a slight heart attack. She’s doing better but we plan to have her checked out in Los Angeles on Monday.”

Nesby, who had made 53% of his shots and averaged 20 points in four games before he left the team earlier in the week, played 30 minutes against the Jazz and had six points on three-of-seven shooting.

*

It doesn’t get any easier for the Clippers, who play defending NBA champion San Antonio on Monday at Staples Center and at Sacramento on Tuesday.

“Nothing is ever easy for us because every game we play is tough,” Coach Chris Ford said. “We certainly had our moments on the road but lost some games right at the end. For various reasons, we didn’t win.”

The Clippers, who are 3-17 on the road, are 7-9 record at Staples Center. Ford is hoping the Clippers learned something from their 0-4 trip.

“It’s always tough to say you’re growing when you’re losing,” he said.