Clippers Coach

Chauncey Billups put his right thumb down when asked whether he was playing Friday night against the Chicago Bulls, his sore right groin too painful for the 35-year-old guard to play in the Clippers' home opener at Staples Center on Friday night. When the players were introduced, Billups limped onto the court wearing a suit. Clippers Coach Vinny Del Negro said Billups "tweaked" his groin during the San Antonio game Wednesday night. Del Negro said Billups didn't practice much Thursday.

Something had to be done to slow down Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook , Oklahoma City's dynamic duo. So the Clippers switched from their man-to-man defense to a zone defense in the second half, and it worked enough to get them back into the game that L.A. eventually lost, 108-104, Sunday. Durant had 20 first-half points on seven-for-15 shooting, two for four on three-pointers. He finished with 35 points but was only three for 10 from the field in the second half, one for five from three-point range.

The hitch is not in Blake Griffin's giddy-up, but in his shooting motion. Just as the Clippers' star forward is about to release the ball, he pauses, a hiccup he has tried to stop by working with the team's new shooting coach, Bob Thate . During warmups before the Clippers' 106-104 exhibition loss against Denver on Saturday night in Las Vegas, Griffin's shooting release looked smoother than before. But during the game, the holdup in his release reappeared when Griffin went to the free-throw line, where he shot 52% last season.

Turn, turn, turn. That is, as in turning the ball over. One consistent thread through the Clippers' first five games has been inconsistent ballhandling. They've had 78 turnovers in those five games, four of them losses, an alarming average of 15.6 turnovers a game. There was a season high of 21 against Dallas on Saturday and a low of 11 at Utah on Friday, although there were other assorted issues in the loss to the Jazz, which featured a fourth-quarter collapse. The same problem surfaced in the lone Clippers' victory, a 93-90 win against the Timberwolves on Monday at Staples Center.

This is what we know for sure after 32 games of the NBA season ? Yes, the Clippers really have figured out how to beat the Kings. Then again, so has most of the NBA, with few exceptions. Three of the Clippers' 10 victories this season have come against Sacramento. "We've had enough bad luck during the year, hopefully it evens out," said Clippers Coach Vinny Del Negro, whose team had lost 11 straight on the road before winning the last three. "We were fortunate in a way we played well enough to win [Monday at Sacramento]

Kobe Bryant was front and center in the Clippers' locker room on Saturday night before their game against the Mavericks. Not literally, but you get the idea. The Clippers were watching the tape of the Mavericks' victory over the Lakers on Friday and a frustrated-looking Bryant loomed large. At the same time, new Clipper Kareem Rush was reminiscing about his former teammate, telling stories about Bryant's legendary work habits, including arriving at the gym at 6 a.m. His duties as a Lakers rookie once included taking care of Bryant's laundry, and staying out of his way as much as possible.

Lasting image of a Clippers season: Chris Kaman limping off the court with a sprained left ankle in New Orleans. Kaman's house of pain quickly expanded to a world of hurt for the Clippers, who dropped that game against the Hornets last Tuesday and went on to lose the next night at San Antonio and at home Friday against Detroit. Unfortunately, for Kaman, there is no fast-track healing process for an ankle. "Not really much else I can do ? can't heal it overnight," Kaman said before Monday night's game against the New Jersey Nets.

Reporting from San Antonio -- How will this trip end for the Clippers? Can they return home with a 3-3 record, or will they limp home at 2-4? Considering that their next opponent is the San Antonio Spurs, it will be a challenge for the Clippers to finish off this six-game, 10-day trip in winning fashion. In addition, Blake Griffin suffered a mild left ankle sprain in the fourth quarter of Wednesday night's loss in New Jersey, though after the game he said that he would play against the Spurs.

OAKLAND - Clippers forward Caron Butler did not play Wednesday night against the Golden State Warriors because of personal reasons, the team announced. Butler was not with the team but is expected to be back for the game Friday night against the Lakers at Staples Center in the Clippers' designated home game. Matt Barnes , who was averaging 10.6 points and 4.9 rebounds, started at small forward in place of Butler. Butler was averaging 10.1 points and 2.6 rebounds in 31 starts.

Blake Griffin plays a physical game, Clippers Coach Vinny Del Negro admits, but Griffin has been pushed around by opponents. At some point, it was suggested to Del Negro, it would seem the 6-foot-10, 251-pound Griffin has to stand up for himself. Just last Thursday night, New Orleans Hornets forward Jason Smith shoved Griffin to the court. Smith was issued a flagrant-two foul, ejected from the game and was suspended two games by the NBA. Smith missed his final game against the Clippers on Monday night.