J.J. Redick was off to another fast start for the Clippers on Wednesday.
Redick made his first four shots and scored 13 of his team-best 20 points in the first quarter as the Clippers dominated the New York Knicks, 99-78, at Staples Center.
The Clippers have cruised when Redick, the team's sharpshooter, is going well. Redick never had been a starter in the NBA until he joined the Clippers, but that hasn't kept him from finding his scoring touch early in games.
"Typically, in Orlando, I generally would come in the game and start scoring right away," Redick said. "I just think it's the way I play. It's just energy, I guess."
And maybe there's something to his new pregame routine. He and 6-foot-10 reserve forward Ekpe Udoh have a pregame set that's been working for Redick.
"Ekpe and I have this little thing now that we're doing the last minute of warmups," Redick said. "Props to Ekpe, he gets me ready to play.
"It started the last month or so. We did it as kind of a joke, and I had a good game, so we did it the next game," Redick said. "In the last few weeks, I went over to him and I was like, 'Hey man, you doing that is really important to me.' I used to have a guy in Orlando, Kyle O'Quinn, who did that for me. It's important."
Chris Paul said the Clippers have become used to Redick's early scoring.
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"He's great. It's great but you start to rely on it too much," Paul said. "He gives everybody an opportunity to get into the game because he starts off the game and has it going and finds it. I remember last year he had those first quarters like that. He's still got it going like that."
With 60 seconds left in the Clippers' pregame warmups, Redick will take shots from around the floor, and Udoh will rebound for him.
"He passes, I shoot it, he runs it down and passes and I shoot it," Redick said. "Hopefully he doesn't have to run very far because it's going in. That rhythm of shooting nine to 10 shots real quick (helps)."
Redick is averaging 15.1 points for the Clippers (22-11), but in December, he averaged 17.7 points. He's averaging 10.1 points in his career.
Redick, who had several injuries last season and missed time, doesn't sit on the bench because of previous back problems. He's always doing something to stay loose and is usually on the floor doing pilates.
He attributes his ability to score from the tip to his pregame routine.
"If you were to watch me from 10 minutes to the jump ball, there's no way I'm not ready," Redick said. "I do this whole routine and it's coordinated by what time it is during warmups. I make sure everything is activated, all the muscles."
Redick said his go-to pilates moves are 100s and scissors and bridges. And, of course, his shot-making.
Blake Griffin said players all have their own routines, so they don't necessarily notice what their teammates are doing.
"Whatever he's doing, he needs to keep doing it," Griffin said. "Pilates, yoga, taekwondo."
