It’s been an interesting week for the Clippers and coach Doc Rivers in China.

Austin Rivers and Chris Paul suffered injuries in practices Friday and Saturday, the Clippers lost to the Charlotte Hornets in Shenzhen on Saturday and Doc Rivers has had to read all about Klay Thompson’s response to a rather innocent Rivers quote.

But the team has bonded, and that’s big.

“It’s been great,” Rivers said in a telephone interview late Monday night from Shanghai, where the Clippers will again play the Hornets at 5 a.m. Wednesday (on NBATV). “I would say that’s been the biggest positive of the whole thing, that part right there.”

Rivers said from the long flight over, to the bus rides for the team’s many functions, to a trip to a Buddhist temple, to a ping pong table in the meal room, all have had played a part in the bonding experience.

“The Charlotte guys were upset, you know, like, ‘Geez, we don’t have a ping pong table in our room,’” Rivers said, laughing. “But it’s been great. They’ve had tournaments, everybody’s watching everybody play.”

Rivers had let reporters know in so many words that he wasn’t crazy about this trip, an eight-day grind in the middle of the team preparing for the regular season, which opens Oct. 28 at Sacramento.

Yet he’s glad it happened.

“I don’t think anyone wants to pack their stuff and go anywhere during training camp,” he said. “But of all the years to pick a year to go, this was the perfect year. It was just fate. It was perfect. Because we have nine new players, really 10, because Austin came late in the year, you know what I mean?

“And so for them to go into camp together, go under different conditions, travel together, it kind of shortens that learning curve mostly.

“Now, as far as on the court, we still have a long way to go. You can’t shorten that, but the closer you become as a group, the easier that becomes and I think this trip has really helped in that regard.”

Injury update

Paul sustained a fractured left index finger Saturday. Rivers said it’s a small fracture, there are no tendons involved and it’s not on his shooting hand.

Austin Rivers took an inadvertent elbow to the mouth while going up for a blocked shot Friday and spent the rest of the day in a dental chair. He had one tooth knocked out and three pushed back, Doc Rivers said.

Neither played Saturday, but both practiced Monday and Rivers immediately took a charge.

“Probably not the smartest thing to do when you have stitches in your mouth,” Doc Rivers said, “but he took it anyway and it was pretty cool. The guys got fired up.”

Both are expected to play Wednesday.

Rivers vs. Thompson

Golden State’s Thompson on Friday responded to a quote from Rivers, who told Grantland.com that a team needs some luck to advance in the Western Conference playoffs.

“Look at Golden State, they didn’t have to play us or the Spurs,” Rivers said.

Thompson, who helped the Warriors win the title this past season, called Rivers’ remarks “bitter” in a story on ESPN.com and went on to note how the Clippers lost to Houston after leading 3-1 in the conference semifinals, and so on.

“I was really disappointed in them because that’s not how I said it,” Rivers said. “I was really surprised at how sensitive they are, but I’m giving Klay the benefit of the doubt. I’m sure it was worded wrong in the question that was asked to him. I basically say it and I say it all the time. During the conversation, I said of my (Boston Celtics) team in 2008, you’ve gotta have some luck, things have to go your way. You need all that.

“But I respect Golden State a hundred percent. But I was surprised at how quickly they jumped on it. To each his own.”