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Anaheim, Calif. • The Lakers backcourt has been plagued by injuries this preseason.
Rookie point guard Jordan Clarkson sat out Thursday night's game against the Jazz with a calf strain. Jeremy Lin was dealing with a sprained left ankle.
And the 40-year-old Steve Nash, who aggravated his back Wednesday while carrying some luggage, was trying to fight through lingering pain.
So the starting nod went to a guy just trying to make the team.
Former Jazz guard Ronnie Price was wearing purple and gold and squaring off against his old team.
"He hasn't surprised me or disappointed me," Lakers coach Byron Scott said of the Utah Valley product. "The ultimate veteran. Ultimate professional. Comes and plays. Plays hard. Knows the plays. Knows what to do on the defensive end. He's done a really good job."
Price, 31, has gone on to play for Phoenix, Portland and Orlando after spending four seasons in Utah.
And between Clarkson's youth and the uncertainty surrounding Nash, could find his new NBA home in L.A.
"Ronnie's a gritty point guard, who doesn't make al to of mistakes," Scott said. "He knows how to play."
Hollywood
Derrick Favors said he was more nervous before his Thursday appearance on the Ellen DeGeneres Show than before a game.
"I didn't want to go out there and mess up, or trip over something," Favors said.
The forward and teammate Gordon Hayward surprised JP Gibson, a 5-year-old Layton boy with cancer who stole the show at the Jazz's open scrimmage earlier this month, and his family by coming on the show to shoot hoops with the boy.
Favors, meanwhile, said he had never heard of the popular daytime talk show before making his appearance.
"I'm pretty sure a lot of females watch it," he said. "I'm not sure a lot of men watch that show. It's a good show though."
New Rules
The NBA is tinkering with ways to trim down on game time, but that didn't stop the league on Thursday from expanding its use of instant replay in certain situations.
Among the changes, officials will now be able to use instant replay to determine whether a foul was flagrant, even if it was called a common foul on the floor. Previously, officials had to initially rule a foul was flagrant before replay could be used. Replay can also now be used to determine whether a foul was a "clear-path" foul regardless of the initial call on the floor.
"I think everybody wants to see the games … be efficient," said Jazz coach Quin Snyder. "At the same time, everybody wants calls to be right. So it's a tough balance."
Side of Caution
A bruised left shoulder kept Jazz guard Alec Burks out of his second straight preseason game. Snyder said the team was "erring on the side of caution" in the exhibition season.
"It just doesn't make sense right now to put him out there if he's not 100 percent," the coach said.
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