Clippers' Austin Rivers: Set for increased role

Rivers is expected to step into an increased role for the Clippers after Chris Paul fractured his hand during Monday's Game 4 loss to the Trail Blazers.

While Paul is still undergoing further evaluations, the expectation is that he'll miss a few weeks at a minimum, and he'll almost certainly sit out the remainder of the Clippers' current series. Rivers is the clear candidate to replace Paul in the starting lineup, with veteran Pablo Prigioni being the only other true point guard on the roster. Prigioni has played only seven total minutes through the first four games of the series, and he's a poor matchup against either of the Blazers' dynamic guards, Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum. As a result, Rivers, a strong perimeter defender, will likely see a heavy workload for the rest of the series. The teams head back to Los Angeles for Game 5 on Wednesday, with Game 6 set for Friday back in Portland.