Maggette might return tonight against Lakers

A win tonight wouldn’t be the be-all and end-all cure for the Clippers. There are too many losses piled on top of one another for that.

Still, the Clippers could take some solace away by winning their final home game against the Lakers tonight and making life a bit more difficult for their hallway counterparts.

Coming off a loss to the Portland Trail Blazers and with recent setbacks to the Charlotte Bobcats and Memphis Grizzlies, the Lakers have shown they are susceptible to below-average teams.

That, the Clippers definitely are.

The Clippers may have the services of forward Corey Maggette, their leading scorer. He missed Tuesday’s loss to the Denver Nuggets with a strained right hamstring, but his status was updated to probable. He did not practice Wednesday, instead doing some light shooting.

“The rivalry is something you love to do, but I want to make sure I’m ready. If I’m at 80 [%], I’m playing [today]. It’s as simple as that,” Maggette said.

Still, avoiding the first sweep from the Lakers since 2002-03 may be a tough task for the Clippers.

The Lakers have bullwhipped the Clippers this season, winning their three games by an average of 25.3 points.

Add to that, the Clippers are 13-27 at home and have lost 11 of their last 13 games at Staples Center.

Is a win impossible?

“It would be great,” Coach Mike Dunleavy said of winning tonight. “No question about that. Right now, all the teams we play are playoff teams. Any quality win we can get is going to be meaningful to us.”

As for who will emerge from the Western Conference tangle, Dunleavy still has his eyes on the Lakers.

“I think they have the most talent,” Dunleavy said. “They’ve got size. When you’ve got Kobe Bryant on the outside going one on one, [Pau] Gasol on the inside and then you can surround them with all the three-point shooting they have, I don’t see who’s got the goods to beat them.”

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The pogo stick up-and-down year for Al Thornton continues.

After scoring at least 21 points in three straight games, he has come back down to Earth and averaged only 7.7 points his last three games.

It could be a case of Thornton learning to play alongside Elton Brand for the first time. Or him reverting to settling for jump shots and not driving to the basket, something Dunleavy said he counseled the rookie about Wednesday.

“I just think there are times a rookie is going to have ups-and downs,” Dunleavy said. “The day before in practice, he was spectacular. He was good again [Wednesday] in practice.”

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Former Clipper Lamond Murray signed with the Los Angeles Lightning of the International Basketball League.

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TONIGHT

vs. Lakers, 7:30, TNT

Site -- Staples Center.

Radio -- 710, 570, 1330.

Records -- Clippers 23-55, Lakers 53-25.

Record vs. Lakers - 0-3.

Update -- The scary thing about the Clippers’ recent losses to the Lakers? In the last two, Kobe Bryant has hardly needed to assert himself, averaging only 16.5 points.

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jonathan.abrams@latimes.com