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Josh Smith will start tonight in place of the injured Blake Griffin. Griffin will miss at least two weeks before being re-evaluated for a partially torn left quad tendon.
Smith played 15 minutes a night for the Clippers in his 28 appearances off of the bench before being benched in favor of Cole Aldrich in the Clippers' last two contests. A majority of his minutes were played as a small-ball center on the bench unit, but now he'll be playing PF, which has been his main position during his 12-year career.
A starter for most of his career, Smith has averaged 15.6 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 3.3 assists in 765 starts. He's averaged 5.9 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.2 blocks in 14.6 minutes per game as a Clipper.