CLIPPERS NOTEBOOK: CLIPPERS COULD USE A VACATION.Byline: Joe Stevens Staff Writer Children across the nation eagerly are waiting for a winter break. And so are the Clippers. After a game tonight against the Phoenix Suns and another Saturday against the Denver Nuggets Nuggets can refer to several branches of interest:
The time off will give the team a chance to have extended practices and heal. In particular, Andre Miller Andre Lloyd Miller (born March 19, 1976 in Los Angeles, California) is an American professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers of the NBA. College career Miller played collegiately at the University of Utah for four years. needs a rest. He aggravated his sprained left ankle Wednesday against Portland and was held out of practice Thursday. He played with a limp Wednesday and is considered questionable for tonight's game. ``After Saturday, we're going to give him time to rest,'' Clippers coach Alvin Gentry Alvin Gentry is an American professional basketball coach, and college basketball player, who has led three different NBA teams. He served as an interim coach for the Miami Heat at the end of the 1995 season, and later coached the Detroit Pistons and the Los Angeles Clippers. said. ``But it's hard to keep him out of games. He's only missed two games his entire career, and the guy played on a bad wheel last night and had 25 points and six assists. There's a comfort level with him out there.'' Miller collided with former Clippers guard Jeff McInnis Jeff Lemans McInnis (born October 22 1974 in Charlotte, North Carolina) is an American NBA basketball player, currently playing point guard for the Charlotte Bobcats. with 11:40 left in the second quarter during the Clippers' 97-93 loss to the Trail Blazers. At first, it appeared it might be a serious injury as Miller clenched clench tr.v. clenched, clench·ing, clench·es 1. To close tightly: clench one's teeth; clenched my fists in anger. 2. the ankle and was in obvious pain. He was rushed to the trainer's room and had a brace tightened around the ankle. He returned to the game and ended up playing 44 minutes. ``We got to keep monitoring him,'' Gentry said. ``If you take him out and sit him, then it tightens up.'' The tender ankle didn't prevent Miller from making several gutsy guts·y adj. guts·i·er, guts·i·est Slang 1. Marked by courage or daring; plucky. 2. Robust and uninhibited; lusty: "the gutsy . . . physical plays. He saved an errant pass by diving on the floor on one occasion, which prompted typically stoic owner Donald T. Sterling to stand up and applaud the point guard. --Similar plan: The Clippers also will rest Eric Piatkowski Eric Todd Piatkowski (pronounced IPA: /ˌpaɪətˈkaʊski/) (born September 30, 1970, in Steubenville, Ohio) is an American National Basketball Association player with the Phoenix Suns. , who has been out since Dec. 10 with a lower abdominal strain. Piatkowski missed practice again Thursday and is expected to miss both tonight and Saturday. The hope is he will return Dec. 27 at Phoenix. The abdominal strain has sidelined Piatkowski longer than expected; the team would have placed him on the injured list Dec. 13 instead of Cherokee Parks Cherokee Bryan Parks (born October 11 1972, in Huntington Beach, California) is an American former professional basketball player who was selected by the Dallas Mavericks in the 1st round (12th pick) of the 1995 NBA Draft. if it had known Piatkowski would be out five or more games. --That smarts: The Clippers were reeling after losing a 14-point fourth quarter lead Wednesday to the Blazers and were especially upset McInnis torched his former team for a season-high 17 points in just 17 minutes. ``Jeff McInnis kind of changed the game,'' Gentry said. ``That's a little bit disappointing because we know where he goes and where we're supposed to be. I think Jeff made as much a difference as anyone in the fourth quarter.'' CAPTION(S): box Box: CLIPPERS vs. PHOENIX |
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