Opponents respond to DeAndre Jordan’s glass act

CHICAGO — Now that Clippers center DeAndre Jordan has become the NBA’s leading rebounder, he has noticed teams playing him differently in an effort to keep him off the glass.

“I see a lot of face-guarding,” Jordan said. “Or I may get an offensive rebound and the coach would take that person out and put somebody else in. He’ll be like, ‘Coach said you can’t get any rebounds.’ So I’m like, ‘Cool.’ Then I want to try to get all of them. But sometimes there are two, three people trying to box me out, but that’ll just free somebody else up.”

Jordan had 12 rebounds Friday in a 112-95 victory over Chicago and is averaging a league-best 13.9 per game. He’s second in the NBA in offensive rebounds with 190 after taking five against the Bulls.

“That was my point of emphasis this year, just to try to get every one — offensively and defensively,” said Jordan, who also leads the NBA in field-goal percentage at 64.4%. “I even work on trying to just tip the ball.”

Jordan has impressed his coach, Doc Rivers, with his rebounding work.

“I think D.J. is so long and so tenacious going after rebounds. He reminds me more of a [Charles] Barkley type that felt like the ball was his,” Rivers said. “Barkley always felt like it’s my rebound and nobody else’s and that’s how I look at D.J.”

Paul called a ‘cheater’

Chris Paul a cheater?

So says DeMarcus Cousins, the Sacramento Kings’ mercurial, sometimes boorish center, who spoke in a recent interview of his dislike for Paul, the Clippers’ point guard.

“It’s just some players I don’t respect,” Cousins told ESPN’s Grantland site about Paul. “Just their playing style of basketball. I don’t respect it. I feel like it’s basically cheating and I don’t respect a cheater. If that’s your tactic to winning, I don’t respect you.”

Paul and Cousins have had their run-ins.

There was the game last season when Cousins felt Paul flopped in an attempt to draw a foul on the big center.

Then there was a game in November this season when Cousins pulled teammate Isaiah Thomas’ hand away when Paul attempted to shake it after the Clippers won the game.

Paul is out with a separated right shoulder, but is expected to be playing again when the Clippers face the Kings and Cousins on March 12 at Staples Center.

broderick.turner@latimes.com

Twitter: @BA_Turner