Clippings: Kendrick Perkins has picked the wrong fight

Lou Williams found himself in a bit of a pickle this weekend after images surfaced of him at Magic City in Atlanta to ostensibly pick up food while he was in town for a funeral. As a result, Williams was assigned a 10-day quarantine upon returning to the bubble.

Doc Rivers previously said that the photos of Williams were “something we obviously didn’t enjoy seeing or like.” However, once the decision was made regarding Williams’ status, Rivers said, “I don’t know if it’s fair or not. I just know intent. Lou obviously made a mistake, but he wasn’t intending to make a mistake, you know. So we get over things pretty quickly here. We know why we’re here. Lou knows why we’re here, so we move on.”

One person who hasn’t moved on is ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins, who chastised Williams on morning show Get Up! (Here is a quick reminder that Perkins played for Rivers in Boston for nearly seven seasons, for whatever that’s worth.)

Williams did not take kindly to Perkins’ criticism, and since he is holed up in his room for the next few days, there was really nothing else to do but fire back at the ESPN talking head.

Williams then changed the conversation back to the memory of Paul Williams Sr., the man whose life Williams was commemorating in Atlanta.

Just because Williams had put the matter to rest, however, that didn’t mean others were ready to let it go. What Perkins didn’t understand was that by attacking Williams, he had incurred the ire of more than just one Clipper.

Montrezl Harrell came to his bench partner’s defense first, followed shortly by Patrick Beverley. It’s worth noting that this all happened while the Clippers were in the midst of their final scrimmage game, so a few of the players were otherwise occupied.

Even former Clippers Sindarius Thornwell and Jerome Robinson went to bat for their locker room vet.

Once the Clippers scrimmage ended, Ivica Zubac gave his two cents about what kind of teammate Williams is, having played with him on two separate teams now.

Williams may have cost himself the first two games of the NBA restart with his actions outside of the bubble, but he hasn’t lost his team’s support. The Clippers remain firmly united behind Williams no matter what, and they’re not afraid to show it.

More news for Tuesday:

• The Clippers played a game yesterday! Blake has all the details from the final scrimmage, including Ivica Zubac confirming that his arrival to the NBA campus site was delayed because he tested positive for the coronavirus.
• Justin Russo also has some takeaways about the Clippers from their game against the Kings.
• The Ringer offers a look back at where the Clippers were before the hiatus.
• CBS picked the worst possible playoff opponents for each contender.
• Here are the best ways that NBA players are spending their time in the bubble.
• The NBA now has a Chief People and Inclusion Officer to help attract, retain, and develop diverse talent across the NBA, the WNBA and the G League.
• The league is researching the long-term cardiac effects of the coronavirus.
• Per reporting from Brad Turner of the L.A. Times, NBA players plan to kneel during the national anthem on opening night.