The Los Angeles Clippers announced the signing of point guard Courtney Fortson early today. The 23 year old was playing for the D-League Los Angeles D-Fenders and is the 15th Gatorade Call-up of the 2011-12 season. He will be available for this afternoon's game.
In other roster news, Chris Paul and Mo Williams will be kept out of the lineup today. Chauncey Billups and Randy Foye will start in the guard spots.
The starting lineup will likely consist of:
DeAndre Jordan C
Caron Butler F
Blake Griffin F
Chauncey Billups G
Randy Foye G
With Chris Paul out, the spotlight shifts to Blake Griffin. The battle between Griffin and the Nets' Kris Humphries will be one of the keys to the game. Griffin is averaging 23.1 points and 11.1 rebounds while shooting 52.8% from the field. The only other player averaging at least 23 points and shooting better than 50% from the field is Lebron James.
A fast start is also key, as the Clippers are 4-0 at home when leading after the first quarter. Also key is superiority on the boards. The Clips grabbed a season high 50 rebounds against the Lakers on Saturday, which included a season high 17 offensive rebounds. This season, when Caron Butler has 5 or more rebounds, the Clippers are 4-1.