NBA: LA Clippers Daily Reader

2008-11-26T10:56:00.000-08:00

Wanna see the new Clippers roster for tonight's game against the Nuggets? Well, here you go.

2008-10-30T06:50:00.000-07:00

Get to the polls next Tuesday, November 4th, and vote!

2008-10-16T12:08:00.000-07:00

I love news article titles like these:

Eric Gordon scores 33 to lead Clippers

Rich Pedroncelli / AP

Clippers rookie Eric Gordon goes up for a layup as Sacramento's Spencer Hawes arrives too late to stop him during the third quarter Wednesday night in Stockton. Gordon scored a game-high 33 points in the Clippers' 116-112 victory.

L.A. gets huge effort from rookie guard in 116-112 exhibition victory over Sacramento.

You can find anything on eBay

2008-07-08T12:28:00.000-07:00

I was looking for LA Clippers souvenirs on eBay, and I came across a hideous tie, baby mittens, and XBox controller with Clippers logos on it, and yes, nail clippers. Artificial nail clippers, La Cross brand. ha. Not quite what I was looking for...

Technology does some good things

2008-02-14T14:51:00.000-08:00

I love technology. Did you know you can download the 2007-2008 schedule directly to Microsoft Outlook from the this page at the Clippers site? That's just nifty.

Goodbye Steve Francis

2007-07-25T10:15:00.000-07:00

Well, so much for the hopes of signing Steve Francis as point guard. He's headed back to Houston, where he just signed a two-year contract. Has he ever been to Los Angeles? Seriously, who'd pick Houston over Los Angeles?

My favorite part of the season...

2007-05-10T13:06:00.000-07:00

is always cheerleader audition time. The auditions are closed, but I'm definitely looking forward to seeing the new dancers. After all, who else makes the losses tolerable? When I buy a ticket to a game, THEY are the ones that ensure without fail that I get something for my money.

2007-01-17T12:37:00.000-08:00

Writing for The Register, Art Thompson III asks "How does a team (the LA Clippers) go from falling a game short of the conference finals to falling into the abyss the next year, with basically the same players?

LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS KEEPING COACH DUNLEAVEY

2006-12-14T16:54:00.000-08:00

Looks like the Los Angeles Clippers will be keeping their coach for at least a few more years. The Clippers announced yesterday that current Head Coach Mike Dunleavy has just signed a new multi-year deal. Dunleavey is one of the most accomplished coaches in the NBA. Let's hope he continues to coach them to many more victories!

PLEASE DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE

2006-12-07T16:24:00.000-08:00

The Los Angeles Clippers and 4 other professional sport teams have partnered with Levy Restaurants, ACE Beverage Distributing, and Anheuser-Busch to implement the Good Sport designated driver's program at sporting events at the Staples Center in LA. The program aims to encourages responsible drinking especially during the holidays when people tend to endulge. It's nice to see a team like the Clippers getting involved in causes like this.

NEW FSN PRIME TICKET SHOW FEATURES SHAUN LIVINGSTON

2006-12-03T13:50:00.000-08:00

FSN PRIME TICKET newest show travels with the Los Angeles Clippers' Shaun Livingston. They follow the basketball prodigy to his hometown in Illinois to talk more about his incredible abilities and where his interest in basketball started. The show entitled, "Before the Bigs: Shaun Livingston", interviews his father Reggie, his family, friends, old coaches, and of course, Shaun himself. Can't wait to watch a bio on one of my favorite players.

Clippers Keep Up Their Utah Tradition

2006-11-15T15:01:00.000-08:00

The L.A. Clippers have a long-standing tradition of letting their hosts win when they visit Utah, which they have only violated once in 29 times! Even so, ending up at 112-90 seems a bit too generous, don't you think?

By the 4th quarter, my mind was wandering (as were the Clippers' -- they only scored 18 points that period to Utah's 33). It struck me that Utah's talented Carlos Boozer has a rather difficult surname to deal with anyway, but to wear it around in the dry homeland of the Latter Day Saints...but maybe it gives him an extra nudge: with a name like Boozer, he has to be good!

Clippers Hang On To Chris Kaman

2006-10-29T10:49:00.000-08:00

Chris Kaman was going to have the option to be a free agent next season, but the Clippers had the right of first refusal. Nothing to refuse--he is 7 feet of solid player. Now we know we have an additional 5 years, and at 24, Chris is only going to be adding experience to talent.

Detroit Who?

2006-10-15T16:58:00.000-07:00

After all these years without any big news for the team, I'd sort of forgotten the Detroit Tigers existed. But it appears they do, and they'll be in the World Series this year. I haven't spent much time in Michigan. Will it be snowing there or something? Brrr...

Chris Kaman In Moscow

2006-10-05T08:16:00.000-07:00

So I browsed by the Los Angeles Clippers website today and saw that center Chris Kaman was in Moscow. It seems the whole team went. Why? I didn’t quite catch that but I did see that they all took in a lot of the sights. Chris Kaman is photographed on the Clippers sight with an older Russian man who is selling matrioshka nesting doll artist on Arbat Street. Looks like the big guy had lots of fun, and he seemed to almost tower OVER the city, or at least all of its people! I wanna go to Russia!

from russia with love

2006-10-02T16:39:00.000-07:00

The Clippers are in Moscow at training camp, where they will play exhibition games against Russian teams BC Khimki and CSKA Moscow on Friday and Sunday respectively. Unfortunately Zeljko Rebraca was unable to join the Clippers in Moscow due to disc-related problems in his lower back. The diagnosis was reached during his pre-camp physical on September 25th. More evaluation will take place after the team’s return to Los Angeles.

Let’s keep on trotting

2006-07-11T10:39:00.000-07:00

As an LA Clipper’s fan, I feel quite happy about the approaching season. Although we lost out in the Playoff’s to the Phoenix Suns, we have a good record to be proud of. With Steve Nash and the Suns taking us out in a high-scoring game 6 aside, we finished second in our division only to that same side. With a bit of luck in the 2007 NBA draw, we should continue to grow as we have done over the previous years.

Now I am rooting for the Mavericks.

2006-05-29T12:52:00.000-07:00

It looks like I am going to cheer for the Dallas Mavericks because they are going up against the hated Phoenix Suns. Dirk Nowitzki is my favorite player in that match up and I think he deserved the MVP award more than Steve Nash did this year. Besides he got it last year. Anyway, Dirk dominated the Suns last night and can do it again on Tuesday. I want the Miami Heat to beat the Detroit Pistons so I can see a Heat/Mavericks match up in the Finals. That sounds like excitement and entertainment to me.

Clippers Fall to Suns

2006-05-24T14:18:00.000-07:00

Well, the Los Angeles Clippers did not win game seven and have been eliminated from the playoffs. It’s a real bummer but the Suns proved to be the better team. I am just glad we pushed hard enough to get to game seven. It was a stressful series for me because we lost every other game. I don’t think I have seen another series like it where the neither team won more than one game in a row.

I am so happy to have had two playoff series to watch though. I feel like my team gave me a second season. Thanks to the Clippers for holding on as long as they did and let’s hope next year is even better. Go Clippers!

Suns face the Clipping block!

2006-05-08T14:07:00.000-07:00

The Los Angeles Clippers slaughtered the Denver nuggets in the first round of the Playoffs. We have not advanced to the second round of the NBA Playoffs in over 25 years and now we are facing the Phoenix Suns and MVP Steve Nash. It is going to take some great defense to dominate the Suns and we can only hope the Clippers are up for the job. Go Clippers!

Clippers Surpass Lakers Despite the Loss

2006-04-13T09:31:00.000-07:00

The Los Angeles Clippers have had a pretty good season and and have secured a playoff berth. The Lakers beat us this weekend 100-83, but they are the ones scrambling to get into the playoffs. Even if Kobe Bryant can lead his team into post-season play, the Lakers won’t get far counting on the strength of a single player against the best squads in the NBA.

A little gambling on a Sunday

2006-03-19T13:11:00.000-08:00

I am bummed that the Los Angeles Clippers aren’t playing tonight. I am making a nice dinner and a few friends are coming over to play poker. Somehow poker just isn’t the same without a game playing in the background.

If you believe, anything is possible.

2006-02-10T15:35:00.000-08:00

The Los Angeles Clippers were defeated by the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday, ending a four game winning-streak. Their 29-18 record reflects the Clippers recent shift to a very aggressive offense and tight defense. Sam Cassell believes this team has a chance to do something special this season and he helps his teammates keep that in mind.

A Debate for the Ages

2005-06-14T10:10:00.000-07:00

A new debate has aroused my thoughts, a debate that will probably continue for ages to come.

The question being; who is better Shaquille O’Neal or Wilt Chamberlin?

Now before anyone decides to answer this question, one should take time to think about it. To think about all the factors that comes into play.

Considering it was two different eras and two different styles. It is almost like comparing Joe Montana to Brett Favre, both great players but two different eras.

So what do you all think?

Tueday Recap

2005-05-31T16:35:00.000-07:00

- from the official site of the LA Clippers

The Clippers worked out forwards Charlie Villanueva and Mindaugus Katelynas along with guards Larry O’Bannon and Earnest Shelton Tuesday morning at the team’s practice facility.

Clippers Host College Players

2005-05-26T13:32:00.000-07:00

The Clippers have had a workout session with a couple of top candidates in this year’s upcoming draft. The Clippers hosted forwards Sean Banks, David Lee and Wayne Simien along with guard Donnell Taylor.

Wayne Simien is one of the top prospects in this year’s draft. Coming from Kansas, Simien has already thoroughly established himself on the collegiate level. Simien assisted Kansas to the Final Four in 2003. Last season, he was able to keep a 20.3 point average and 11.0 rebound average.

"I would love to be in L.A. and with the Clippers. I’m thankful that Mr. Elgin Baylor had me in for this workout. I often get compared to Elton Brand, so to learn from him and get to go up against him on a regular basis would be great. I’ve watched the team play a few times this year and think they’re on the way up.”
- Wayne Simien

NBA Announces Early Entry Candidates For 2005 NBA Draft

2005-05-19T17:13:00.000-07:00

- from NBA.com

The National Basketball Association announced today that 108 players, including 73 college and high school players and 35 international players, have filed as early entry candidates for NBA Draft 2005.

Underclassmen and international players wishing to renounce their remaining intercollegiate eligibility and enter NBA Draft 2005 were required to submit a letter to the NBA postmarked no later than Saturday, May 14. Players who have applied for early entry have the right to withdraw their names from consideration for the Draft by notifying the NBA of their decision in writing no later than 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, June 21.

Maggette on IL

2005-05-17T17:05:00.000-07:00

Corey Maggette was recently put on the injury list for torn ligament in his left wrist. Maggette’s average for points per game has been 22.1. He had his NBA debut in 1999 when he came from the wildly acclaimed Duke to join the ranks of the Orlando Magic. Maggete has been with the Clippers since.

EuroLeague

2005-05-12T17:47:00.000-07:00

Many coaches are getting together to try to find future draft picks. Possible veteran players and new incoming players of the EuroLeague are under consideration now as the season also is coming to a close.

"It's about talent," Clipper Coach Mike Dunleavy said. "We're here to see players."

This gives the team’s a chance to find scouts early on and this would be great for the Clippers if there are potentials.

"There are so many key people here from the NBA and the European teams, it's a great chance to build relationships. It's almost like an All-Star weekend."
-John Nash, general manager of the Portland Trail Blazers.

The final four competition featured teams from host CSKA Moscow, Tau Ceramica of Vitoria, Spain, Maccabi Tel Aviv and Panathinaikos of Athens.

Elton Brand

2005-05-06T13:07:00.000-07:00

- from the official site of the LA Clippers

"Typical" is a word not often thought of as a compliment, but it best sums up another stellar season from Elton Brand. Most NBA forwards would term a 20ppg and 9.5 rpg season as a "career year," but such numbers are par for the course with Brand. In 2004-05, the Clippers co-captain once again showed why he is one of the NBA's most reliable and dominant forces in the paint by finishing the season among the league's top 10 in double-doubles, blocks, offensive rebounds, total rebounds and efficiency. In addition, Elton also led his own team in field goal percentage, rebounding and blocked shots and was second in scoring behind Corey Maggette.

Shaun Livingston

2005-05-02T15:00:00.000-07:00

Shaun Livingston ended last season being named the Western Conference got milk? Rookie of the Month for his valiant efforts during the month of April. Livingston ranked in the top five out of seven categories.

Recap of Livingston’s month (taken from the official site of the LA Clippers)

April 5 @ Charlotte: Scored 17 points and added nine assists, eight rebounds, six steals and one block in a 104-102 win over the Bobcats.
April 9 @ San Antonio: Tallied a career-high 18 points, seven assists, five rebounds and one steal in a 125-124 double-overtime loss to the Spurs.
April 12 vs. Utah: Recorded 15 points, 10 assists, four rebounds and one steal in a 94-85 win over the Jazz.
April 20th @ New Orleans: Recorded 17 points, 3 assists, eight rebounds and one steal in the Clippers' season-ending 86-75 win over the Hornets.

Most Improved

2005-04-26T14:43:00.000-07:00

- from the official site of the LA Clippers

The countdown is on! The 2005 Most Improved Player Award will be announced this Thursday, April 28th with Clippers forward Bobby Simmons among a talented list of candidates. Stay tuned to Clippers.com, as we will post the results as soon as they become official and good luck Bobby!

Clippers fall to Rockets

2005-04-19T17:11:00.000-07:00

In their most recent game, the LA Clippers were disposed of in an important game to the Rockets. With their win (115-90), the Rockets finally clinched their seat in the number 5 seed and were matched up against the Dallas Mavericks for the first round of play.

Tracy McGrady put in a double-double and Yao was shooting 10 for 14.

"We shot the ball great tonight, but I think we were terrific at passing the ball. McGrady set the tone with his passing and David Wesley had a great first half. When Tracy does what he did tonight, it's a huge boost spacing the floor to give our other players room to operate."
- Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy

UTAH at L.A. CLIPPERS

2005-04-17T16:36:00.000-07:00

- from FOXSports.com

Utah is on a 3-1 spread run after staying inside the 15 ½-point number in Saturday's 88-81 loss at Dallas.

The Jazz have covered three of their last four on the road, but have scored the spread win just once in their last four at the Clippers.

Utah has gone over the total in five of its last seven overall.

Los Angeles is 2-0-2 versus the spread in its last four after staying inside the 3 ½-point number in Saturday's 125-124 home loss to the Spurs.

The Clippers have covered three straight in this series after staying inside the four-point spread in an 87-86 road loss on February 28.

Los Angeles has sailed over in four of its last five overall, but has stayed under in seven of its last 10 in this series.

Corey Maggette will stay out

2005-04-12T15:44:00.000-07:00

Corey Maggette turns out to have torn ligaments in his right wrist. Due to this, he has been out of the games recently and this has made an impact on L.A.’s game play. The Clippers no longer have a chance at going for a Playoff seed, but this will impact the rest of the season nonetheless.

As of now, it looks like Maggette will not come back to play for the last five games. They will re-evaluate his injuries soon to see if maybe this will change. Kerry Kittles and Zeljko Rebraca are also stuck on the injured list until further updates.

Clippers

2005-04-07T16:14:00.000-07:00

Well, we finally got shut out of the Playoff run, but it’s not like it wasn’t expected. The Western Conference is too good this year to be messed with. If LA could be in the Eastern for a split second, we’d still be in the run with a record of 34-42.

In their last game, the Spurs took out the Clippers 91-82. Corey Maggette led in high scores with 23 points. Marco Jaric had to leave the game during the third with a sore foot. The Clippers’ coach Mike Dunleavy was ejected during the last seconds of the game for his second technical foul.

“They came out tonight and beat us in every facet of the game. They out worked us, they out shot us, they out rebounded us and they had more blocked shots than us. They did the hustle plays that you have to make to win the game. They just played better than us.”
- Shaun Livingston

Clippers/Cavs Preview

2005-03-29T14:56:00.000-08:00

- from the official site of the LA Clippers

Superstar LeBron James and his Cavalier teammates host the Clippers tonight at the Gund Arena in Cleveland. The Cavs presently hold the 6th spot in the Eastern Conference playoff picture, but every game is crucial for the Brendan Malone's squad. Only 4 1/2 games separate the East's 8th postseason seed from the 4th slot and Cleveland has hit a rough patch as of late---losing 5 of their last 7. For Los Angeles, the keys to victory lie in slowing down LeBron and increasing their own offensive output. The Cavs are 19-1 at home this season when they hold opponents under 100 points. Tip off is at 4pm PST on FSNW2 with Ralph and Mike and on KTLK AM 1150 with Mel and Norm.

Clippers keep Blazers on Losing Streak

2005-03-22T14:48:00.000-08:00

The LA Clippers have made sure to keep the Portland Trailblazers on a losing streak from hell. This was the 5th game that the team has lost consecutively. This makes 11 losses out of the last 12 and 14 out of the last 15 on the road. A record like that must keep the team in a very detrimental frame of mind.

"It is hard to play these games. You've got to get the motivation to want it like the first (game) of the season when you wanted to make the playoffs. But right now it's just like you've got to get the motivation yourself. No one can help you with that."
- Darius Miles

Elton Brand and Corey Maggette put in 22 points. The team may not realistically be in the Playoff race, but they are still playing passionately.

"My objective is to get at least 40-plus wins. If we can't make the playoffs, we can at least get 40 wins out of the season. We've got about 15 games left and I am sure we can do it. We haven't given up. If the playoffs happen, we're there. But right now we're concentrating on how to play the right way and get some wins."
- Corey Maggette

Clippin

2005-03-15T16:55:00.000-08:00

- from NBA.com

It was a tale of two halves for Los Angeles on Sunday afternoon, as the Clippers needed clutch late-game plays from Elton Brand to overcome a relentless Chicago attack in the final two periods. Brand scored 20 points --including six of the final eight -- and hauled down 11 boards as the Clippers held on for a gritty 83-78 victory over the visiting Bulls. L.A. led by as many as 15 in the first half, but had to rally from five down with just over five minutes to play. Corey Maggette scored 19 for the Clippers, while Bobby Simmons doubled up with 11 points and 12 boards.

Bibby, what have you done?

2005-03-12T16:41:00.000-08:00

With four-tenths of a second remaining, Mike Bibby sunk a 20 foot goal to seal the win for the Sacramento Kings. Bibby scored a total of 28 points; 10 in the last five minutes of the game. The Kings have won against the Clippers in their last eight meetings.

"I tried to give some hesitation, but I was going to shoot the jump shot the whole way."
- Mike Bibby

In the previous win against Memphis, Bibby also made the buzzer-winning shot. What must we take from this? Do not let Bibby have the ball in his possession close to the end of the game.

Corey Maggette made 26 points and 10 rebounds. Bobby Simmons also added in 24 points.

Clippers lose to Nuggets

2005-03-06T16:04:00.000-08:00

- from NBA.com

The streaking Denver Nuggets had to rely on Earl Boykins and his fellow reserves to end the Los Angeles Clippers' seven-game home winning streak.

Boykins scored 22 points to lead four reserves in double figures as the Nuggets extended their winning streak to six games with a 105-89 triumph over the Clippers.
Denver's reserves outscored their Los Angeles counterparts, 58-27, while the Nuggets moved over .500 (30-29) for the first time since December 20 and into a virtual tie for the final Western playoff spot with the Los Angeles Lakers (29-28).

"We had the bench come in and play well," said Denver coach George Karl, whose team improved to 13-4 since he took over from interim coach Michael Cooper. "And Earl had a big game going offensively. Our pieces fit very well tonight, especially off the bench. We've got some good pieces with a good defensive foundation and that was the key."

Clippers vs. Hawks

2005-02-28T16:57:00.000-08:00

In a continuation of their winning streak, the LA Clippers beat the Atlanta Hawks 111-104. Atlanta was doing pretty well, shooting about 60 percent through the first three quarters. But, LA quickly changed to zone defense and shut this out.

A lot of the help close to the end was due to Chris Wilcox. Wilcox, after being out for some time with an injury, has only played in 5 of the last 15 games. Out of these games, he hasn’t really hit over 10 minutes of game play but once. During this game, he was benched during the first 3 quarters. Being put in during the fourth, he made all of his 9 points to get the crowd and team riled up.

"I was sitting on the bench the whole game. I was observing and watching the game and I saw what we were lacking. So when I got in the game I knew what I needed to do, play hard and pick up the intensity and level of play."
- Chris Wilcox

Raptors munch on the Clippers

2005-02-14T15:17:00.000-08:00

In an unbelievably close game, the road-weary Clippers were taken out by the Raptors. This makes only the third win for Toronto in the last ten games. Chris Bosh led the Raptors in scoring, sinking 26 points to bring the score to 109-106. Rafer Alston also put in 10 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter, giving a strong force for Toronto.

The Clippers did fight though. In the second half, Los Angeles came back from a 20 point shortage, but this was not enough to take the victory. It began in the third quarter. Toronto gave the appearance that they were starting to lose their edge. Missing the first 15 shots after the half, the Clippers were given a chance to catch up. But, it was clutched in the fourth.

"We always have to put a little excitement into it. Go up, get down, come back, that's what we did but we played hard and we all stuck together."
- Milt Palacio

Clipper Vs. Warriors, Making History

2005-01-30T15:36:00.000-08:00

The Clippers had a historical victory over the Warriors in their last game. Not only did they have a 96-85 win, this marked the first season sweep of the Warriors in the Clippers’ franchise history. Also, the Clippers marked a franchise-record with 21 offensive rebounds.

Elton Brand, who was benched for a good portion of the game, scored 27 points. Brunson made a career high with scoring five three-pointers.

The Warriors were playing at a loss having two of their better post player seated out with injuries. Troy Murphy had a fractured thumb from a previous game with the Supersonics and Cliff Robinson only stepped in for a few minutes due to a stiff lower back.

Preview for Hornets game

2005-01-22T17:30:00.000-08:00

from foxsports.com

After winning just twice in their first 31 games, the New Orleans Hornets look for their fifth victory in eight contests when they host the slumping Los Angeles Clippers.

Despite their awful record, the Hornets are starting to play better under first-year coach Byron Scott.

New Orleans fell 95-91 to the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday for its second straight loss following a season-best stretch of three wins in four games. But on Wednesday, the Hornets defeated the Indiana Pacers 90-87.

Two games after reaching a career high with 32 points, Lee Nailon came back with 30 points and 10 rebounds against Indiana, and says the team is getting a better grasp of what Scott wants from them.

"A lot of guys are starting to feel comfortable with the offense, and on the defensive end as well," said Nailon, who is averaging 16.2 points. "Coach Scott is starting to tell us what he wants out of us and guys are starting to listen to him and trust each other."

With Baron Davis, Jamaal Magloire and Jamal Mashburn all sidelined with injuries, Scott wants Nailon to focus on his specialty - scoring.

"He knows how to get the ball. He knows where to get it," Scott said. "He has an uncanny ability of knocking down shots when you really need it."

Davis missed his second straight game Wednesday with a bruised right ankle, an injury that occurred in the Hornets' loss at Toronto on Sunday. Davis, whose status for this game is uncertain, has missed 21 games this season due to injury.

Los Angeles' losing streak reached four games on Thursday with a 99-77 defeat to the Dallas Mavericks. The Clippers lost a season-high five in a row from Dec. 11-19.

There were 12 lead changes in the game Thursday until the score got lopsided when the Clippers had an 8-minute stretch in the fourth quarter without a field goal.

Los Angeles, which has lost four in a row on the road, is three games under .500 for the first time this season.

"They played good defense and we may have run out of gas late," said Clippers forward Elton Brand, who had 24 points and 14 rebounds for his fifth straight double-double. "Very discouraging not to come out with this one."

Clippers Edge 76ers

2005-01-03T13:49:00.000-08:00

Some lessons in life are learned the hard way. It seems that doesn't change on the Basketball court either. In an 89-83 Clippers victory, the Clippers had 28 turnovers, did not get a single field goal from their bench, and had to deal with the leagues top scorer Allen Iverson who put up 35 points.

But I guess you take what you can get.

Brunson, Clippers Run Past Hornets in Overtime

2004-12-23T13:45:00.000-08:00

from NBA.com

In a matchup of two depleted clubs, the Los Angeles Clippers needed a boost to survive at home. Rick Brunson was happy to provide that boost.

After losing a big second-half lead, the Clippers got 11 points from Brunson in overtime and 30 overall from Bobby Simmons to snap a five-game losing streak with a 100-91 victory over the New Orleans Hornets.

"The overtime was big for me because I thought I'd cost us the win with that turnover at the end of the game," said Brunson, who threw the ball away on Los Angeles' last possession in regulation.

"I thought I did a terrible job of getting us into good offensive sets towards the end of the game. It meant a lot to redeem myself."

Playing without leading scorer Corey Maggette (left groin) and point guard Marko Jaric (sprained foot), the Clippers lost fill-in starter Quinton Ross to a hip pointer early and could not shake the equally thin Hornets, despite taking a 24-9 lead after one quarter.

Los Angeles lost a 21-point second-half lead and were forced to play overtime when New Orleans forward P.J. Brown hit three jumpers in the final 2:23 of regulation, including a 19-footer with four seconds left to tie the game at 81-81.

Brunson set the tone just 43 seconds into the extra session with a long 3-pointer to give the Clippers the lead for good. After Elton Brand and Simmons both had a basket to stretch Los Angeles' lead to 88-83, Brunson put away the game with back-to-back 3-pointers and a pair of free throws in the next 1:13.

"Brunson really stepped up," Brand said. "We knew he could. That's why our coach went with him to start."

Brunson notched season highs with 18 points and 10 assists in his first start with the Clippers. Brand added 23 and 13 rebounds as Los Angeles earned its first win since December 6 vs. Charlotte, a 99-93 triumph.

Lionel Chalmers, a rookie who had not played more than 13 minutes this season, played 44 on Tuesday, setting highs with eight points and six assists.

"We're just happy with win," Brand added. "We'll get to the films and see what happened. We shouldn't be up 21 and get into overtime. We didn't execute defensively or offensively. That's what happened. We let (Hornets guard David Wesley) get hot on us and it hurt us. We didn't have the same effort and intensity that we've had in a close ball game."

Despite taking the large lead early, Los Angeles was unable to shake New Orleans, which had five of its own players on the injured list and was without guard Junior Harrington in the second half because of a right knee bruise.

"We have kind of gotten over the series of injuries we've had because it's been going on so long," Hornets forward P.J. Brown said. "The guys that are here know we just have to play much harder than we played tonight."

Wesley scored 10 straight points for the Hornets and 12 total during a 19-3 run to close the third quarter. Dan Dickau's 3-pointer with 1.3 seconds left capped the surge and cut the deficit to 65-62.

"I just got into a rhythm at the right time," Wesley said. "I had good opportunities from running the floor. I was really being aggressive taking some shots that normally I wouldn't take in this offense. At that point we were just being aggressive and trying to find out how to get back in this game."

Wesley scored 22 points, Lee Nailon added 21 and Chris Andersen had a career-high 18 rebounds in his first start for New Orleans.

"We haven't had a whole lot of success in overtime games," Wesley said. "It was disappointing to come back that far and not win."

Clippers Knocked by Jazz

2004-12-16T13:31:00.000-08:00

from Clippers.com

A team-leading 28-point effort from Corey Maggette wasn't quite enough as the Clippers lost a seesaw battle, 93-91 to the Jazz on Tuesday. A dunk by Mikki Moore with seconds remaining brought the Clippers within a point, but the Jazz sealed the victory from the charity stripe. Elton Brand went 11-of-12 from the free throw line on his way to a 19-point effort, while Marko Jaric added 18 points and a team-best 6 assists. Los Angeles travels to Minnesota on Friday before heading home to STAPLES Center.

Clipper drop Bobcats in Double OT

2004-12-09T13:02:00.000-08:00

from ESPN.com

The Los Angeles Clippers started taking the expansion Bobcats seriously just in time to eke out a victory.

Corey Maggette scored four of his 33 points in the second overtime and the Clippers survived the fourth-quarter ejection of Elton Brand to beat Charlotte 99-93 Monday night.

"We were having a problem finding motivation against those guys," point guard Marko Jaric said. "They played an excellent game. We started out very slow and very, very lazy, and we have to understand that we are not the kind of team that can play that kind of basketball."

It was the first overtime win in four tries this season for the Clippers. After tying his career high with 34 points in Saturday's OT loss to Minnesota, Maggette pulled out this win, going 4-of-4 from the free throw line in the second extra session.

Brand, held to a season-low 10 points Saturday, finished with 19 points to help the Clippers win for the sixth time in seven games. Jaric, who had 10 assists, already has five double-digit assists games -- two more than all of last season.

Jason Kapono and Primoz Brezec each had 14 points for the Bobcats, who played without Gerald Wallace (concussion) and Jahidi White (right shoulder strain). They have won four of their first 15 games, but are 0-7 on the road.

"We've certainly got things in perspective, in terms of where we are and what we've got to do," coach Bernie Bickerstaff said. "We've won four games, and the predictions were that we probably wouldn't win any. Everybody comes after us every night because they don't want to lose to us."

Charlotte rookie Emeka Okafor, who averaged 19.5 points and 12.6 rebounds over his previous six games, finished with 12 points and 15 boards.

Mikki Moore got the Clippers started in the second extra period with a dunk with 4:36 remaining. No one else scored until Maggette sank two free throws with 1:30 left for a four-point lead. Kapono hit a 17-footer at the other end, but Chris Kaman responded for the Clippers with a layup that gave them a 95-91 lead with 56 seconds to play.

Okafor made it a two-point game with a pair of free throws, but Simmons followed with a fadeaway 19-footer from the right baseline with 10.4 seconds remaining and Maggette added two free throws.

Moore's layup tied it at 85 with 2:05 left in the first overtime, triggering a 6-0 spurt by the Clippers that ended with two jumpers by Maggette.

But Kapono hit a baseline jumper and Brevin Knight drove coast to coast for the tying layup with 11.4 seconds on the clock after stripping the ball clean from Maggette.

The Bobcats missed nine of their first 10 shots in the fourth quarter and the Clippers ran off eight straight points to turn a five-point deficit into a 71-68 lead with 6:22 left in regulation.

Keith Bogans and Kapono responded with 3-pointers 10 seconds apart, ending Charlotte's scoring drought and giving the Bobcats a 74-71 edge.

On the next possession, Brand took exception to Okafur's defense and responded with an uncharacteristic flagrant foul that earned him two technical fouls and an ejection with 3:28 remaining.

"It was just a push," Brand said. "It was frustration from getting tangled up. I wasn't trying to start a fight or a melee or anything. I was just trying to break away. But the league is definitely cracking down on anything that goes on. I was having a pretty good fourth quarter, so it was very difficult to watch after that."

After Maggette's two free throws with 29 seconds left tied it at 79, both teams blew chances to win it. Knight missed a 13-footer from the lane and Jaric missed a layup as the buzzer sounded.

The Clippers improved to 11-7, including the three overtime losses.

"I'm happy for their success," said Bobcats forward Melvin Ely, who spent his first two NBA seasons with the Clippers before being traded to the Bobcats.

"Anything is possible when you're got players like Elton Brand and Corey Maggette," Ely added. "And now they've got Chris Wilcox playing to his potential and Bobby Simmons also playing well. So it's not surprising at all."

Simmons, Brand Lead Clippers

2004-11-29T08:04:00.000-08:00

from NBA.com

After losing Corey Maggette early in the second half, the Los Angeles Clippers got a boost from a pair of unlikely sources.

Quinton Ross scored a career-high 14 points and Rick Brunson added 12 off the bench as the Clippers posted a 98-87 victory over the Golden State Warriors.

Maggette, who leads Los Angeles in scoring at 18.5 points per game, twisted his left ankle with 53 seconds remaining in the first quarter trying to defend a 3-pointer from Mickael Pietrus. He sat out the second quarter and left the game after playing only three minutes in the third.

"With Corey going down with a sprained ankle and being quite shorthanded, we had great play from our bench," Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy Sr. said. "Quentin Ross was great, Rick Brunson was great, everybody came in and gave us a nice lift.

After X-rays, Maggette was diagnosed with a mild sprain and is listed as day-to-day.

"He tried to gut it out but I didn't think it was worth it, he could really hurt himself out there and I didn't want to risk any further injury," Dunleavy said.

Ross and Brunson, who entered the contest averaging 5.7 points per game between them, made sure Los Angeles did not miss a beat.

"It was great," said Clippers forward Bobby Simmons, who scored 17 points and had a career-high 12 rebounds. "That's what we're going to need as far as when someone else goes down we need guys to step up and fortunately those guys came in and did a great job for us tonight. Ross made a lot of great shots, a lot of open shots and Brunson ran the floor for us."

Ross hit 7-of-9 shots from the floor, playing largely in place of Maggette, who finished with 11 points. "We play hard," Ross said. "We try to play hard defensively, try to get stops and try to rebound the ball. We try to be in the right spots defensively on the floor and we forced them into some difficult shots."

Brunson shined down the stretch, scoring all his points in the final period. He made 6-of-7 shots, handed out four assists and made a pair of steals in just 18 minutes.

"I just thought tonight was a typical night on a back-to-back," Brunson said. "We had a lot of guys with little energy on the first team and I just thought the second unit came in and provided energy."

"Rick is really solid and he can shoot the ball and he just did a great job of executing our stuff," Dunleavy said. "He was just terrific at running the offense too, orchestrating and delivering the ball."

Elton Brand added 17 points as the Clippers moved above .500 after 13 games for the first time in eight seasons. Los Angeles has won 12 of its last 15 road games against Golden State.

"We're really not trying to make a statement, we're just trying to do what's best for the Clippers and I think as a team we have to realize we're trying to win every game," Brunson said. "We're trying to win every game with confidence. It's too early to make statements, this isn't college football where you play 10 or 11 games, we've got 82 games."

Speedy Claxton scored 22 points for the Warriors. He made 6-of-8 shots but his teammates made just 26-of-74 (35 percent).

"It's getting a little frustrating, nobody likes losing," Claxton said. "This is an important game for us, we could've picked up some ground. We played these guys earlier in the year and we let them kind of hand it to us and it was the same kind of way tonight. We've just got to find some kind of way to buckle down."

Golden State also struggled from 3-point range making just 4-of-18 shots (22 percent), including the starters going 0-for-9.

"We've got to quit settling for 3-point shots," Warriors coach Mike Montgomery said. "We've got to run offensively, more disciplined and not settle for the first open look we get. We're shooting the ball as if that's going to be our savior. We don't have a low-post game but we've got to establish some kind of presence in the paint so we can work off of it."

Clippers Start Slow, Finish Strong

2004-11-14T16:50:00.000-08:00

from NFL.com

The Chicago Bulls got off to a quick start but could not slow Marko Jaric and Chris Wilcox in the second half.

Jaric scored 17 of his season-high 19 points in the second half and Wilcox had 10 points and eight rebounds after halftime as the Los Angeles Clippers erased an early 24-point deficit en route to a 97-96 triumph over the winless Bulls.

Chicago seemed headed for its first win in four games this season, holding a 49-25 lead with 6 1/2 minutes to go in the second quarter. But Bobby Simmons ignited a 23-5 burst with three straight points and fellow Chicago native Corey Maggette had nine of his 23 points in the run.

With the Clippers down, 54-48, at the half, Jaric and Wilcox took over in the third quarter. The duo combined for all the points in a 9-2 spurt that put Los Angeles on top, 69-67, with 2:55 left.

"(Jaric) banged out shots and got us back into it," Los Angeles coach Mike Dunleavy said. "We talked about having better spacing to our low post. We were clogging it up too much. We did and (Jaric) was open. We moved the ball and got him shots and he made them."

"We came out a little slow but picked ourselves up in the second quarter," Wilcox said. "We had to come together as a team and started passing the ball around and take good shots. The shots started falling for us. That is what we needed to do along."

Jaric had been in a shooting slump, entering the game 13-for-37 from the field. But he scored 13 points in the third, missing just one of five shots.

Bulls coach Scott Skiles was sure the Clippers would rally.

"I would have been shocked if they had not come back," Skiles said. "To have them come all the way back, that is a different thing. You have to expect them to make a run at some point."

"It is very frustrating," Bulls center Eddy Curry said. "Even though they came all the way back, we never gave up. We just didn't have enough to get over the hill."

The Clippers opened a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter and withstood a late rally that included Kirk Hinrich's 3-pointer at the buzzer.

Curry, playing in just his second game after a two-game league suspension, had 20 points and 11 rebounds for the Bulls. Tyson Chandler added 17 and 13 - both season highs - making 6-of-7 shots.

Los Angeles won twice on its three-game road trip and bounced back from a listless 110-96 loss at New York on Friday. The Clippers have won four of their last five games at the United Center.

Chicago begins a seven-game road trip - its longest of the season - Tuesday in Sacramento.

Rookie Shaun Livingston, who attended high school in Peoria, went scoreless in 11 minutes.

Chicago led, 53-36, with 3 1/2 minutes left in the half when Maggette had two free throws to ignite a 12-1 burst that closed the half.

Getting Close

2004-10-31T13:36:00.000-08:00

From NBA.com

The Clippers played well enough to hold a slim 51-50 halftime lead over Phoenix on Thursday night, but were blitzed 39-17 in the third quarter en route to a 109-88 loss. Bobby Simmons wrapped up a strong preseason with 19 points, while Corey Maggette chipped in with 18 of his own. Elton Brand and Chris Wilcox tied for team rebounding honors with 9, and scored 11 and 14 points respectively. Next up for Los Angeles is their 2004-05 season opener against Seattle on Wednesday.

check check.

2004-09-14T08:42:00.000-07:00

Is this thing on? Testing 1 2 3. Hello?