Richardson Accepts Role on Bench

Guard Pooh Richardson, held out of the Clippers’ six-point loss to the Jazz in Game 2 after playing 17 minutes in the first game of the series, said he harbors no grudge against Coach Bill Fitch.

“I’m disappointed, but I just go along with whatever Coach does,” Richardson said. “I’ve got to accept that and support the guys as much as possible. He’s playing the guys he feels he can win with.

“I don’t think you should worry about [playing time] in the middle of the playoffs. It’s all about staying positive and helping your team do the best they can.

“After the season, when it’s time for changes to be made, I’m going to bring my issues to the forefront. When draft time comes, that’s where most teams address their issues, like if we’ve got too many guards or too many forwards, and I hope I’m part of the change one way or another.”

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Clipper guard Malik Sealy, who missed the second half of Saturday night’s game because of food poisoning, practiced Sunday and is expected to play tonight.

Team physician John Pack said Sealy got sick after eating a Caesar salad at the team’s pregame brunch. Sealy spent the second half in the locker room resting on a training table.

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Clipper center Rich Manning had five points and one rebound in 15 minutes, but missed five of six shots in Game 2.

“With everybody getting fouls they needed me to fill the position,” he said. “Unfortunately I didn’t hit my shots the way I wanted, but they were good shots.”

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Rookie center Lorenzen Wright, who struggled in his first playoff game, missing 10 of 13 shots and getting six points and nine rebounds in 36 minutes, had a team-high 17 points and six rebounds in Game 2.

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In keeping with the apparently unintentional retro theme of the Delta Center, the electronic board that displays out-of-town scores listed the Colorado Avalanche hockey team as still being in Quebec, and the Phoenix Coyotes as still being in Winnipeg.

And yes, they have still have karaoke contests here, one of which was displayed over the main scoreboard during the game.

Times staff writer Bill Plaschke contributed to this story.