Paul Pierce's right ankle injury appears to be less serious than it looked, but the 38-year-old Los Angeles Clippers swingman is still expected to miss some time with what's been diagnosed as a sprain.
"He is going to be out for a little bit," Clippers head coach Doc Rivers said Tuesday, according to ESPN's J.A. Adande.
With Blake Griffin just three games away from returning for the first time since December, Rivers was looking forward to having his full complement of players in the fold so he could solidify his rotation in the lead-up to the postseason. Now, he seems to feel that's a pipe dream.
"It's just not going to happen," he said. "But our guys are fine. They just keep playing. We're putting different guys in. We've got to figure out who we're going to start while Paul is out. We'll see. It's been one of those years. There's nothing you can do about it. You've just got to keep trying to get healthy for the playoffs.
"As far as having that 'two-week period' (to get ready), that's not going to happen. So I've given up on that part. So we have to figure it out another way."
Once Griffin comes back, though, Pierce's injury will be the only thing keeping the Clippers from full strength, and given his uneven play in this his 18th season, they shouldn't suffer too greatly without him.
In 64 games, Pierce is averaging career lows in points (5.8), rebounds (2.8), assists (1.1), minutes (17.8), field-goal percentage (35.4), true shooting percentage (48), and PER (8.0).
