Oct. 11--The first exhibition game of the Clippers' two-game appearance in China on Sunday did not include guards Chris Paul and Austin Rivers. Both were sidelined because of injuries suffered during practices.
Paul fractured his left index finger during a scrimmage Saturday. He is not expected to miss extended time. Rivers got hit by an elbow in the mouth in practice Friday and had several teeth knocked out. He is listed day to day.
At a sold-out arena in Shenzhen, the Clippers were beaten by the Charlotte Hornets, 106-94.
The game started at 10:30 p.m. PDT and was shown on NBA TV. The two teams also play Wednesday in Shanghai as part of a weeklong trip.
Jeremy Lin, the first NBA player of Taiwanese descent, had the crowd roaring with approval in his first NBA appearance in China. Besides showing off a stylist hair cut, he had 10 points in 12 minutes on five-of-six shooting after entering the game in the first quarter. He connected on a three-pointer at the end of the third quarter for an 85-77 Hornets lead.
The Hornets pulled away with an 8-1 spurt to start the fourth quarter, using precision passes and a quick tempo orchestrated by Lin, who finished with 16 points in 27 minutes.
Hornets owner Michael Jordan was introduced to the crowd, producing lots of applause.
J.J. Redick had 21 points in the first half for the Clippers, who came back from a 12-point deficit to trail, 57-55, at halftime.
Blake Griffin finished with 13 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds in 27 minutes for the Clippers.
