Three games before Blake Griffin is due to return from a layoff of more than three months, his replacement went down Monday night at Staples Center.
There was widespread concern that it might have been the end of a Hall of Fame career, though Pierce appeared to avoid serious injury during the Clippers’ 114-90 thrashing of the Boston Celtics.
The team announced Pierce had sustained only a sprained right ankle and a bruised right knee, sparing him the cruel fate of having his last game end this way against the team he had long starred for and led to an NBA title.
“Of course, the Laker fans thought they were going to bring out a wheelchair at one point,” Doc Rivers joked, referring to Pierce’s infamous in-game return during the 2008 Finals.
The Clippers hardly seemed undermanned after Pierce’s departure. Chris Paul and DeAndre Jordan notched double-doubles in only three quarters and six players scored in double figures to lead the Clippers (46-27) to a third consecutive victory.
Paul finished with 13 points and 14 assists and Jordan had 15 points and 13 rebounds. It was the second consecutive game Rivers was able to rest his starters the entire fourth quarter.
The Clippers reserves outscored the starters, 67-47, with Austin Rivers (16 points), Jamal Crawford (15), Wesley Johnson (11) and Jeff Green (10) reaching double figures.
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