Clippers’ Jamal Crawford keeps making case to be NBA’s sixth man of the year

Jamal Crawford called his shot before it went in. Actually, he called it before he even took it.

The Clippers guard walked over to his coaches with 22 seconds left in overtime Friday night and told them “it was going to be game” before he knew they would design a play for him in the timeout huddle.

That’s exactly the way it unfolded, Clippers Coach Doc Rivers putting five relatively small players on the court in an attempt to have the Utah Jazz scramble and switch a big man onto Crawford for the last shot. The ploy worked. Utah forward Derrick Favors’ outstretched arm could not stop Crawford from launching the ball and a Clippers’ victory when his 25-footer with two-tenths of a second left gave his undermanned team an improbable 102-99 triumph.

The ball had barely settled through the net when Crawford’s teammates who had been left home to rest in Los Angeles unleashed a flurry of tweets. Each touched on a certain theme regarding a player who is bidding to win a record third NBA sixth-man-of-the-year award.

From DeAndre Jordan: “Easy 6th Man of the Year!!! @JCrossover and way to ball out Cole World!!! @cole45.”

From Blake Griffin: “wow great team win!! If @JCrossover isn’t 6th man of the year I don’t know who is!!”

From Chris Paul, with a photo of Crawford attached: “6th Man of the Year Ladies and Gentlemen!!!!! X3 #JCrossover.”

In the Clippers’ locker room after the game, forward Jeff Green commenced his own impromptu campaign for Crawford after the super-sub had starred in a rare start, scoring 30 points in a season-high 48 minutes.

“Night in, night out, he’s bringing it,” Green said of the 36-year-old. “People can say he’s this age, that age, but age ain’t nothing but a number. I’m speechless right now, the way he’s been playing when guys are out. He’s been playing amazing. Amazing.

“He has the ticket of youth. He’s getting it done. He’s the reason why we won.”

Crawford’s bid for the sixth-man award has picked up considerable momentum since Christmas. He is averaging 14.1 points per game and leads all NBA reserves in scoring since Dec. 25. He also leads the NBA in free-throw accuracy (91.3%) and is the Clippers’ leader in fourth-quarter scoring.

Crawford’s primary challengers are New Orleans’ Ryan Anderson (17.0 points, 6.0 rebounds), Oklahoma City’s Enes Kanter (12.8 points, 8.1 rebounds), Boston’s Evan Turner (10.4 points, 4.9 rebounds, 4.5 assists) and Denver’s Will Barton (14.5 points, 5.8 rebounds).

As reporters gathered around Crawford’s locker after the game Friday, Rivers walked by and yelled, “Sixth man of the year started tonight!” Crawford could only laugh after having also finished the Jazz.

Playing through

Green and Paul Pierce gutted out some discomfort to finish the game against the Jazz. Pierce was limping around and had to have his ankle retaped in the second half and Green briefly took a seat along the baseline after absorbing contact to his left knee in the fourth quarter. Both were able to return and spark the victory with 18 points apiece.

“Just got myself in a mental zone, just try to block it out,” Green said of the pain. “I’ll be all right. It wasn’t as bad as the other knee.”

Green had hurt his right knee Wednesday against the Lakers.

Etc.

The Clippers could be back to full strength Sunday afternoon against Dallas in their second-to-last home game. All the regular starters are expected to play and the only questions pertain to Austin Rivers (left ankle) and Wesley Johnson (plantar fasciitis), who have each sat out the last two games. … The Clippers did not practice Saturday.

NEXT UP

VS. DALLAS

When: Sunday, 12:30 p.m.

Where: Staples Center.

On the air: TV: Prime, NBA TV; Radio: 1150.

Records: Mavericks 41-38, Clippers 51-28.

Record vs. Mavericks: 2-1.

Update: This will be one last chance for the Clippers to stick it to Dallas this season after center DeAndre Jordan backed out of a five-day commitment to the Mavericks in free agency in July. The Mavericks have won six consecutive games to boost their playoff hopes and are trying to hold off the Utah Jazz and Houston Rockets for one of the final berths in the Western Conference. Dallas point guard J.J. Barea, who had been on a recent tear, left the Mavericks’ game against Memphis on Friday with a strained groin and is listed as questionable to play against the Clippers.

Follow Ben Bolch on Twitter: @latbbolch