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Clippers lift Chris Paul's minutes restriction

Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports

Does this spell the end of the Austin Rivers Era?

Austin's father, Los Angeles Clippers head coach Doc Rivers, says Chris Paul's minutes restriction is no longer in effect, according to ESPN's Arash Markazi.

Paul's minutes have been monitored and carefully handled since he returned from a left hamstring strain after missing the first two games of the Clippers' second-round series against the Houston Rockets. He played 23 minutes in his first game back, 26 in his next. Finally, in Tuesday's Game 5, he got up to nearly 35.

Aside from the dip in playing time and perhaps slightly hampered mobility, Paul has shown few ill effects of the injury, averaging 16.3 points and 9.7 assists against just 1.3 turnovers in the series.

Austin Rivers has been a perfectly capable fill-in when called upon, averaging 14.4 points while shooting 50 percent from the field and 47.8 percent from 3-point range against the Rockets. That should make the Clippers feel at least a touch more comfortable resting Paul for long stretches if he ends up needing it.

While Paul is no longer listed on the team's injury report and will play Game 6 Thursday without restriction, Doc Rivers says he'll still keep a close eye on his body language.

"I always worry because you're one step away," Doc said. "There is no minute restriction, per se. I didn't like how he played or any of us played (in Game 5). I thought we played with no pace, basically the entire game. We didn't start our offense until 10 or 12 seconds (into possessions). They owned our space all night. I didn't like anything we did on offense. We have to improve that."

Despite Tuesday's 124-103 loss, the Clippers remain in control of the series, up 3-2 with a chance to close it out at home on Thursday.

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