Taylor Steps Up as Replacement

With forward Lorenzen Wright sidelined because of a knee injury, rookie forward Maurice Taylor got more minutes in Saturday night’s 97-88 victory over the Dallas Mavericks.

Taylor, who has averaged 8.4 points, 3.4 rebounds and 17.6 minutes, had 15 points and nine rebounds in 26 minutes.

Taylor even played center against 7-foot-6 Maverick Shawn Bradley.

“I looked at coach kind of crazy when he told me I was going in at center,” Taylor said. “Luckily they didn’t use him a lot. They used me to take him off the dribble.”

Taylor, who made seven of 11 shots, had a spectacular game-ending dunk.

“I went to the bench and James Collins said I hadn’t got a dunk yet. He was looking for one so I had to get one before the game was over.”

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Center Stojko Vrankovic, who has averaged 3.9 points and 4.2 rebounds, tied his season high with eight points and he had eight rebounds, two under his season best.

Vrankovic had four points, five rebounds and and two assists in seven minutes in the first quarter.

“Stojko was a force out there in the middle tonight,” Clipper Coach Bill Fitch said.

SCHEDULE

JAN: 6--at Sacramento, 7:30 p.m.; 7--Vancouver, 7:30 p.m.; 9-- Lakers, 7:30 p.m.; 11--at Detroit, 4 p.m.; 12--at Milwaukee, 5:30 p.m.; 14--at Toronto, 4 p.m.; 15--at New Jersey, 4:30 p.m.; 17--at Washington, 4 p.m.; 19--at Minnesota, 12:30 p.m.; 22--vs. Detroit at Anaheim, 7:30 p.m.; 24--Denver, 7:30 p.m.; 27--at Houston, 5:30 p.m.; 28--at San Antonio, 5:30 p.m.; 30--San Antonio, 7:30 p.m.

FEB.: 1--Indiana, 6 p.m.; 3--vs. Utah at Anaheim, 7:30 p.m.; 10--at Utah, 6 p.m.; 11--Washington, 7:30 p.m.; 13--Boston, 7:30 p.m.; 16--Houston, 5 p.m.; 19--vs. Miami at Anaheim, 7:30 p.m.; 21--Charlotte, 7:30 p.m.; 23--Seattle, 7:30 p.m.; 25--Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m.; 27--Phoenix, 7:30 p.m.

MARCH: 3--at Houston, 5:30 p.m.; 5--at Dallas, 5:30 p.m.; 8--at Denver, 6 p.m.; 9--at Phoenix, 6 p.m.; 12--vs. Lakers at Anaheim, 7:30 p.m.; 13--Toronto, 7:30 p.m.; 15--at Portland, 7 p.m.; 17--at Golden State, 7:30 p.m.; 18--at Seattle, 7 p.m.; 21--Cleveland, 7:30 p.m.; 23--at Vancouver, 7 p.m.; 25--New York, 7:30 p.m.; 27--Minnesota, 7:30 p.m.; 29--Dallas, 6 p.m.; 31--at Indiana, 4 p.m.

APRIL: 2--at New York, 4:30 p.m.; 3--at Philadelphia, 4:30 p.m.; 5--at Cleveland, 10:30 A.m.; 7--Vancouver, 7:30 p.m.; 9--Portland, 7:30 p.m.; 10--at Utah, 6 p.m.; 13--Minnesota, 7:30 p.m.; 15--Golden State, 7:30 p.m.; 16--at Portland, 7 p.m.; 18--vs. Sacramento at Anaheim, 8 p.m.