Los Angeles Clippers: Austin Rivers is heating up
Despite a cold night against the Sacramento Kings, Austin Rivers has been on fire for the Los Angeles Clippers after a brief injury.
Austin Rivers suffered a concussion on Dec. 13 against his father’s beloved Orlando Magic. The younger Rivers missed two games for the Los Angeles Clippers before returning. His first game back was mediocre, but he put together a solid 21-point performance against the Phoenix Suns. After that, Rivers found his shot in a way he truly never had before.
Auston Rivers put up his career high in scoring on two consecutive nights, including a win against the Houston Rockets (who held the NBA’s best record at that time). While the loss in the next game to the Memphis Grizzlies ended in disappointing fashion, Rivers and Lou Williams almost managed to carry the team to victory by themselves.
With Blake Griffin eyeing a potential return on Friday, Rivers’ hot streak could not have come at a better time. Despite a disappointing performance from Rivers against the Sacramento Kings, the team still managed to win in blowout fashion. The Clippers are still only three games out of a playoff spot, and Griffin’s return and Rivers’ hot streak could help them climb back into the playoff picture.
Two career nights
The Los Angeles Clippers should have expected to lose against the Houston Rockets. The Clippers entered the game on a three-game skid, while the Rockets had won 14 straight games. If that were not enough to sway the game, the contest was in Houston. The outlook for Los Angeles was rather bleak.
Instead, however, Austin Rivers carried the team to victory with the game of his life. He put up a career-high 36 points on 25 shots, including a dagger triple that put the Clippers up by 12 late. Normally Rivers takes the team out of games when he is overly aggressive, but his aggression was a necessary part of knocking off the Rockets.
Rivers could have put up a miserable performance in his next outing and nobody would have been upset. Instead, he passed his career high for a second straight night. Rivers scored 38 points on an incredibly efficient 20 shots, and nearly brought the Clippers back into the game late:
Even though the result was decidedly less positive, Austin’s performance against the Memphis Grizzlies was actually a more complete offensive performance. He was efficient from the field overall and from beyond the arc. The fact that the Clippers lost the game should not take away from Rivers’ stellar outing.
Future outlook
The Los Angeles Clippers cannot expect Austin Rivers to consistently put up 30-point performances. Indeed, his relative dud against the Kings following his two career nights certainly speaks to that.
However, there are some underlying positive signs for Rivers that could carry over after Blake Griffin’s return. Rivers is shooting a career-best 40.4 percent from beyond the arc, and his True Shooting Percentage this year is his second-best in his career (just behind his mark from last season). He also is posting his career-best in Player Efficiency Rating and in Offensive Box Plus-Minus this year.
Next: 2018 NBA Mock Draft: End of 2017 edition
Austin Rivers might never again top his 38-point performance against the Memphis Grizzlies. However, with Blake Griffin nearing a return to the court, Rivers is heating up at the perfect time.