Cassell has to pick his spots

As the saying goes, everyone is day to day, but now Sam Cassell is minute to minute.

Cassell, who had played in three of the last four Clippers games, was inactive Friday. Normally, Coach Mike Dunleavy finds out at game time.

“He doesn’t know until he gives it one of these [flexing one shoulder] and one of these [flexing the other],” said Dunleavy before Friday’s game.

“Each game will be night to night. He gets worked on by a chiropractors, masseuses.

“I assume he’s not going to play. Like in Milwaukee, I didn’t think he was going to play until the very last. Actually he decided to play when Tim Thomas couldn’t play. He said, ‘OK, put me in, I can give you something.’ ”

Cassell played seven minutes in that one and made all three of his shots but couldn’t come back in the second half.

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The Jazz is on a 53-win pace, which would be its most since the 2000-01 season.

“We’re a very young team,” said Utah forward Carlos Boozer. “But we have enough [experience]. We have two guys on this team who have been to the mountaintop. We have one guy who won it multiple times,” he said of Derek Fisher, who won titles with the Lakers in 2000, 2001 and 2002.

“The good thing about us is we have a mixture of young and old. At the same time, you’ve got to beat us.”

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TONIGHT

vs. Washington, 7:30, Channel 5

Site -- Staples Center.

Radio -- 710.

Records -- Clippers 33-36, Wizards 37-30.

Record vs. Wizards -- 0-1.

Update -- This marks another homecoming for former Van Nuys Grant High star Gilbert Arenas. In his first one this season, he scored 60 points in a 147-141 overtime win over the Lakers. He had 35 in the Wizards’ 116-105 victory over the Clippers in Washington on Jan. 5, saying afterward he had to play well so he wouldn’t be accused of being distracted by his lavish 25th birthday party that followed the game.

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mark.heisler@latimes.com