Five minutes into Thursday’s first quarter, Clippers coach Tyronn Lue looked down his bench in San Antonio, preparing to make his first substitution.
For the first time in four years, the NBA’s all-time top-scoring reserve was no longer on the roster, waiting to pull off his warmups, dribble to the left and shoot the fadeaway that has helped him reach 15,000 points.
Three-and-a-half-seasons and two Sixth Man awards after he arrived in a trade from Houston, Lou Williams’ Clippers tenure ended with a trade to Atlanta just before Thursday’s trade deadline, hours before a gritty 98-85 win that marked the team’s fourth consecutive. Clippers President Lawrence Frank lauded Williams as “arguably the greatest sixth man to ever play the game, and he represented much more than that as a Clipper” — but instead of his scoring punch, the Clippers felt their championship pursuit required a pure point guard’s direction.
It’s unclear when Rajon Rondo will make his Clippers debut but his immediate impact isn’t really the point of why the team decided to acquire the 35-year-old two-time champion at the cost of Williams, two second-round picks and cash. This was a move done because of a belief that his experience and tendency to play better in the playoffs will best serve them when the postseason arrives in late May, even though Rondo this season had produced a career-worst start with the Hawks.
“He is a proven winner, a relentless competitor and one of the most skilled orchestrators of his era,” Frank said in a team release. “We believe he will elevate our group and continue to propel us forward.”
Former Clippers coach Doc Rivers, in Los Angeles on Thursday with Philadelphia to face the Lakers, said he believed Rondo “is going to be great,” citing the trust already established between Rondo and Lue beginning in 2009, when Lue joined Rivers’ Boston’s staff. Lue and fellow assistant Sam Cassell were “called the Rondo coach whisperer, or whatever you want to call them,” Rivers said. “And so they had a hell of a relationship.”
The Clippers entered the deadline believing their roster, when fully healthy, was as good as anyone in the Western Conference but wanted to upgrade around the margins if possible, even though they had little financial flexibility and few trade assets. Enter Rondo, who could be a fixture of closing lineups, just as he played a vital role in the Lakers’ championship last season by drastically improving his shooting when it mattered most.
Rondo’s addition, and the promise of the Clippers’ potential, figures to be a moot point if they cannot stay healthy, however. There is no indication yet when they will return to full health. Kawhi Leonard missed the game with soreness in his right foot and Marcus Morris sat because of a right calf contusion. The longer-term question is the status of Patrick Beverley (right knee) and Serge Ibaka (lower back), who remain in Los Angeles recovering after missing more than 10 days each because of their injuries.
Because of those absences, the Clippers (30-16) played without four starters against San Antonio (22-20) and used only eight players. They shot 38% — and won by double digits for the second straight night anyway. It was their second victory this season when playing without four starters. They are now 8-0 on the second night of a back-to-back.
One of those interim starters, point guard Reggie Jackson, scored a game-high 28 points and made a high-arching three-pointer with two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter to push the team’s lead to eight. Then another former reserve, center Ivica Zubac, recovered a near-turnover by Paul George and battled for a shot attempt that ended in free throws and a 10-point lead with 1 minute, 43 seconds left.
During the last seven minutes of the fourth quarter, the Clippers outscored San Antonio 16-6.
George finished with 24 points and 13 rebounds, Zubac added 13 rebounds and Terance Mann scored 10 points with 11 rebounds.
