The Clippers‘ Chris Paul missed this morning’s exhibition game in China after breaking his left index finger, according to Dan Woike of The Orange County Register. Paul will be re-evaluated before the team’s next game on Wednesday, but team officials don’t expect him to be out of action for long. Paul suffered the injury when he got hit on the hand while driving to the basket in Saturday’s practice. The Clippers’ first regular season game is October 28th.
There’s more news from the Pacific Division:
- Newly signed forward Quincy Acy will be battling for minutes in the Kings‘ frontcourt, writes Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee. Acy, who spent last season with the Knicks, inked a two-year free agent deal with Sacramento this summer. Coach George Karl has expressed “trust” that the fourth-year forward will be able to earn playing time on a team that includes DeMarcus Cousins, Kosta Koufos and rookie Willie Cauley-Stein. “I’m used to fighting for minutes and taking things,” Acy said. “Nothing has ever been handed to me. I didn’t come here expecting to play. I came here with the mindset I’m not going to play and I’m going to have to earn everything I get.”
- The Kings started offseason addition Rajon Rondo alongside incumbent point guard Darren Collison in Saturday’s game with the Blazers, Jones writes in a separate story. Even though it’s a brand new look for the team, Karl said he might use the combination often during the season. “I can see it being very effective,” the coach said. “I thought our ball pressure was better because of it. … We’re turning the ball over at a high rate, but our defense is also creating a lot of turnovers, so that’s a good thing.”
- The relationship between Karl and Cousins will define the Kings‘ season, according to Paul Flannery of SB Nation. In their team preview, Flannery and Tom Ziller assess Sacramento as a team that raised its talent level during the offseason but created chemistry issues that could offset any improvement.