Things somehow work out on the way to win No. 10

He probably didn’t intend for it to sound humorous. But his first three words worked on a couple of levels.

“We’re warriors, man,” Baron Davis said at practice Saturday. “We’ve got a lot of heart. Everybody is down on us right now and counting us out. But the fact of the matter is that a lot of our young guys and our bench has developed.”

Davis was talking about his hardy band of Clippers brothers-in-arms. The injured Davis watched the already undermanned team become even more depleted, only to hold on for a gritty victory against Oklahoma City on Friday night at Staples Center.

Well, Davis was a Warrior. As in Golden State.

The Clippers will play at Oakland for the first time since Davis opted out in the summer and signed a five-year, $65-million deal to return home to Los Angeles. He is injured, though, and won’t be making the trip to the Bay Area with the Clippers.

“I’m glad he’s not playing,” the Warriors’ Stephen Jackson told reporters Saturday. “I mean, it’s better for us. Believe it or not, it’s better for us.”

Said Davis, noting the Clippers have one more trip to Golden State: “I would love to be up there and to play, but no biggie.”

If you’ll remember, Jackson was the one who caused a big stir when he said late last month that Davis wanted to come back to the Warriors.

Clippers’ remorse?

But Davis quickly denied saying such a thing to Jackson, adding he was not ready to jump ship.

That was about 15 Clippers injuries ago

Who would have thought the Warriors’ Monta Ellis would be playing in today’s game in Oakland and not Davis? Ellis, who suffered a serious ankle injury in a moped accident, returned to action against Cleveland on Friday night, making his season debut.

The Clippers are so injury-ravaged, they really couldn’t even have a proper practice Saturday. Davis is hoping he will be ready for Wednesday’s game against Chicago.

“It usually takes me five games, playing 20 minutes a game, trying to stretch to 25 minutes to really see what you can and can’t do and the things you need to work on,” he said.

The Clippers’ injuries have swung the door wide open for the likes of rookie Eric Gordon, who had a career-high 41 points against the Thunder, and put a heavier burden on the shoulders of second-year man Al Thornton, who had 34 points Friday night.

Said rookie DeAndre Jordan, of Gordon: “He’s an animal, a monster, a beast. All rolled into one.”

Aside from the monster comparisons. . . .

“We have young guys that would have never got that experience had we not been hurt,” Davis said. “Looking forward to next year, when we get everybody on the court, at 100%, then we should be there. They [the fans] have been with the Clippers for 25 years. So they’ve been with the Clippers through worse times than this.

“People got hope. And that’s the difference. I think that’s how the curse gets lifted. The fans we have truly believe we’ve turned the corner.”

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lisa.dillman@latimes.com