Seventeen games into the season, the Clippers have now used eight different lineups as they gave Luc Mbah a Moute his first start of the season Sunday.

And despite there being a core to those lineups — guards J.J. Redick and Chris Paul, center DeAndre Jordan and power forward Blake Griffin are in their third season together — the revolving door at small forward remains a problem.

“Each guy’s kind of had their moments,” Redick said of the four players Coach Doc Rivers has auditioned to replace Matt Barnes, who started 74 games last season before being traded over the summer. “We’d love to have a consistent starting lineup. But it seems like it’s game to game right now.”

Mbah a Moute, a UCLA product from Cameroon, played more than 23 minutes Sunday, scoring seven points. He was also on the floor down the stretch, contributing a crucial steal in the final moments to help the Clippers hang on for the 107-99 win over Minnesota.


“It was big,” Rivers said of the play. “You go by what you need at the time. We had the lead so we needed stops. That’s why he’s out on the floor.”

Early risers

Sunday’s game was the Clippers’ third 12:30 p.m. tipoff in 11 home games. And with seven more on the schedule, the team will start nearly a quarter of its home games at midday this season.

No other NBA team will start more than three games before 1 p.m.


Rivers said he hated early games when he was a player because it was difficult to get into a rhythm.

“I just felt like as player — and it doesn’t matter home or road — that you can’t catch up. If you start off bad, by the time you wake up, the game’s over,” said Rivers, whose team has won two of its three matinees this season. “Having said that, we do a lot of them. So I think we should better at them.

“And because we do a lot of them, I think it should be an advantage for us. And it hasn’t been.”

Teachable moment


Rivers coached Minnesota forward Kevin Garnett for six seasons in Boston and believes the 15-time All-Star, who signed a multiyear deal with the Timberwolves last summer, is the perfect piece for a team already ahead of schedule on its rebuilding process.

“Kevin, when he was with us in that first year, never missed a practice,” Rivers said. “It just sends a message. Kevin did it to an insane state. Even when you took him out of practice, he would mock whatever the guy was doing on the floor. If the guy jumped, he would jump. The guy ran, he would run on the sidelines.

“He didn’t know how to slow down. But that leadership was awesome for our young guys.”

In Minnesota, Garnett has already become a mentor for rookie center Karl-Anthony Towns — although Towns probably didn’t learn a lot Sunday, as Garnett didn’t score after getting in foul trouble early and playing less than 16 minutes.


“Kevin would be a terrific coach, a terrific teacher,” Rivers said. “It’s a good thing for a young guy to have Kevin teaching him.”

Etc.

Jordan’s struggles with free throws took a turn for the worse Sunday when he put up a pair of air balls from the line with 20 seconds left in the first half. Jordan missed his first five foul shots and as was three for 12 on the day.

1 / 8 Clippers forward Blake Griffin grabs a loose ball in front of Timberwolves forward Andrew Wiggins in the first half Sunday. (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times) 2 / 8 Clippers point guard Chris Paul reacts after colliding with Timberwolves forward Kevin Garnett on a drive in the first half Sunday. (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times) 3 / 8 Clippers guard Jamal Crawford pulls up for a shot over Timberwolves forward Nemanja Bjelica and center Gorgui Dieng in the first half. (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times) 4 / 8 Timberwolves forward Andrew Wiggins loses his balance as he’s surrounded by Clippers defenders Sunday. (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times) 5 / 8 Clippers point gurad Chris Paul is fouled by Gorgui Dieng during a drive Sunday. (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times) 6 / 8 Timberwolves forward Adreian Payne gets tangled with Clippers forward Blake Griffin in the first half. (Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press) 7 / 8 Clippers point guard Chris Paul looks to drive against Timberwolves forward Andrew Wiggins in the first half. (Paul Buck / EPA) 8 / 8 Clippers guard Jamal Crawford tries to cut off a drive by Timberwolves forward Tayshaun Prince in the first half. (Paul Buck / EPA)


UP NEXT

CLIPPERS VS. PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS



When: Monday, 7:30 p.m. PST.

Where: Staples Center.


On the air: TV: Prime; Radio: 980, 1330.

Records: Trail Blazers 7-10; Clippers 9-8.

Record vs. Trail Blazers: 0-1.

Update: The Trail Blazers have won three of their last four games with the victories coming against teams from Los Angeles, including two against the Lakers. Jamal Crawford scored 20 points off the bench against Portland on Nov. 20, but the Clippers faded in the fourth period. The Clippers, who have not outrebounded a team this season, were especially poor on the glass, with Portland grabbing 55 rebounds, the most by a Clippers opponent this season. “We know what they are,” Coach Doc Rivers said of the Trail Blazers. “They’re a young team that plays super hard.”