Nov. 21--REPORTING FROM MIAMI -- Doc Rivers enlisted the help of Clippers broadcaster and former NBA power forward Michael Smith when a reporter inquired about J.J. Redick's shooting struggles.
Asked Rivers, motioning to Smith: "What would you do?"
Replied Smith: "Keep shooting."
It's what shooters do, and Redick complied during the Clippers' 110-93 victory over the Miami Heat on Thursday night at AmericanAirlines Arena.
Redick made three of his first four shots before tailing off a bit on the way to 14 points. He made five of 11 shots, including four of eight three-pointers, which qualified as a considerable upgrade over a prolonged slump to start the season.
He is making 37.9% of his shots and 33.9% of his three-pointers through 11 games, which both would qualify as career lows if he sustained those figures for the rest of the season.
"It's a long season," Redick said, "so I believe in the law of averages. It will all work out in the end."
Redick has rebounded from slow starts before, making 35.7% of his shots and 30.2% of his three-pointers in November 2010, only to finish that season making 44.1% of his shots and 39.7% of his three-pointers.
"I believe in myself as a player and as a shooter, my teammates believe in me, I know that," Redick said. "And you have to play your way out of it."
Rivers said he was not worried about a player who has made 38.8% of his three-pointers in nine NBA seasons.
"It's not like he's going to go in a gym and change his shot or anything like that," Rivers said. "He's always been a great shooter. I haven't looked, but I'm sure he's had shooting slumps in his career, and unfortunately I think it's accented more when it's at the beginning of the year.
"He'll keep shooting them and we're going to keep running the same stuff, and eventually when they go in, we'll be a better team."
Moving on up
Rivers notched his 650th career coaching victory Wednesday, when the Clippers beat Orlando, joining San Antonio's Gregg Popovich as the only active coaches to reach that milestone.
"I have four with the mustache," said Rivers, who has grown facial hair in support of the "Movember" movement supporting men's health issues.
Popovich has 974 victories.
Etc.
Center DeAndre Jordan has moved into third place on the Clippers franchise list for consecutive games played, surpassing Freeman Williams, who played in 249 straight games from November 1978 to December 1981. Jordan's 251 consecutive games played is the longest active streak in the NBA. Only Michael Brooks (293 games) and Randy Smith (595) played in more consecutive games with the Clippers.
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Forward Matt Barnes has a sore left calf but is considered probable for the game against Memphis on Sunday.
ben.bolch@latimes.com
Twitter: @latbbolch
