DeAndre Jordan Records 14 or More Rebounds in 15 Straight Games
Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan had 20 rebounds in Sunday's 100-98 loss to the Houston Rockets, making him the first player since Dennis Rodman in 1992-93 to record 14 or more rebounds in 15 consecutive games, per ESPN Stats & Info.
While impressive lately, Jordan still has a long way to go to catch Rodman, whose streak with 14-plus boards lasted a remarkable 24 games.
Jordan's streak began Feb. 9, when he recorded a career-high 27 rebounds in a 115-98 win over the Dallas Mavericks, per Basketball-Reference.com's play index.
It was the second game Clippers forward Blake Griffin missed with a staph infection in his elbow, and it appears Griffin's absence was a major factor in Jordan's streak.
Averaging 34.4 minutes for the season, Jordan often saw his playing time trickle above the 40-minute mark while Griffin was sidelined, as the Clippers aren't exactly deep in the frontcourt.
Jordan averaged 37.6 minutes, 18.5 rebounds and 14.9 points in the 15 games Griffin missed, with all of those numbers representing significant boosts from the center's season-long mark.
Of course, Griffin rejoined the Clippers for Sunday's close loss, so it now seems rather unlikely that Jordan will surpass Rodman's 24-game streak.
The 26-year-old Defensive Player of the Year candidate has clearly proved that he can handle all the minutes, but it still makes sense for coach Doc Rivers to ease up on the gas pedal as the playoffs approach.
