Injuries keep on coming for the Clippers

BOSTON — The Clippers got hit by another injury. This time it was super-sub guard Jamal Crawford suffering a slightly broken nose.

Crawford said he was injured in the fourth quarter of the Toronto Raptors’ game Friday night when he was hit by Kyle Lowry’s elbow.

The Clippers are saying that Crawford will be a game-time decision for Sunday’s game against the Boston Celtics.

After Friday’s game, Crawford said he had towel over his face when he saw blood running down.

He said he got an MRI Friday night and a CT scan Saturday that revealed a fracture.

The Clippers found a small protective brace for Crawford to wear in the game against the Celtics.

Asked if he was going to play against Boston, Crawford said, “We will see.”

Crawford is third on the team in scoring, averaging 16.5 points a game off the bench.

He has been the backup point guard behind Eric Bledsoe because Chris Paul has been out with a bone bruise in his right kneecap.

“We’ll see how he responds tomorrow,” Clippers Coach Vinny Del Negro said about Crawford. “Obviously, Jamal is a big piece of our team and it’s another unfortunate injury for us.

“We’ll have to see how the mask feels, see how he feels. We have to see the discomfort he has.”

Ready for a tough foe

The Clippers have shown that they have the ability to bounce back after tough losses.

They will have an opportunity to display their resolve when they face the Boston Celtics Sunday at the TD Garden.

The Clippers are 1-1 on this eight-game trip as they prepare to face the .500 Boston Celtics (23-23).

Even if Boston is missing All-Star point guard Rajon Rondo, who is out for the season with a torn ACL in his right knee, the Clippers know they will have their hands full.

“It’s going to be a tough game,” Blake Griffin said. “I don’t care if they are missing Rondo or not. They are still a tough team. They are still a veteran team. They still have guys that can play. We have to be much better than we were [Friday] night. We have to start defensively and bring energy and match their intensity, especially on the road.”

The Clippers have their own injuries to worry about.

Griffin is dealing with a sore left ankle.

Paul is out with a bruised right kneecap, and Chauncey Billups

is out with tendinitis in his left knee.

Still, it’ll be up to Griffin to go up against Celtics All-Star forward Kevin Garnett.

“I never hear him talking,” Griffin said about Garnett’s trash-talking. “We never go back and forth like that. We just expect it to be a tough game.”

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