UNC in the NBA: Raymond Felton provides spark for Clippers

Clippers’ veteran point guard plays big minutes in tight game

After missing two games to attend his grandmother’s funeral, Los Angeles Clippers point guard Raymond Felton returned to action on Monday night.

It was a welcomed reunion for the Clippers who are missing backup point guard Austin Rivers. Rivers sustained a concussion against the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday night and has not yet returned to the lineup.

Given the Clippers’ current lack of depth in the back court, Felton saw increased minutes in Monday night’s game against the Trailblazers.

The veteran guard played 24 minutes, scoring 10 points on 4-of-8 shooting and connecting on two of his three shots from beyond the arc. He also logged an assist, a block and two steals, all while committing zero turnovers.

Perennial All-Star point guard Chris Paul also lauded Felton’s performance in the game, particularly for his defensive effort and ability to create shots for other players.

When asked of Felton’s impact on the game, Paul had the following to say:

“It was very important, you know Doc was trying to figure out who to go back with and all that stuff like that and I was like stay with Ray”, Paul told reports after the game. “The other thing is, we get a chance to play off each other, you know, Ray creates shots for everybody and then defensively it gave me an opportunity to stay on Harkless and not do as much running around so I appreciate Ray like crazy for that.”

Felton is averaging 5.3 points, 1.3 assists and 1.7 rebounds per game in his 11th NBA season and first with the Clippers.

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