Facing Clippers Is Rapture for Stoudamire

Clipper guard Darrick Martin took the blame.

“I [stink] right now,” Martin said a little more bluntly after Toronto guard Damon Stoudamire scored 36 points to match his career high and lead the Raptors to their third victory in 19 home games, 109-101, Wednesday night at the SkyDome.

Forward Lamond Murray said the Clippers should be embarrassed to lose to the Raptors (6-31), who are tied with Dallas for the NBA’s second-worst record.

“We’ve got to beat these teams that we must get wins against,” said Murray, who had 23 points and 10 rebounds. “If we don’t get wins against them, who do we expect to beat?”

Martin was overmatched against Stoudamire, who made 14 of 31 shots, including four three-point shots, and had 11 assists and five rebounds in 41 minutes.

Stoudamire had 22 points in the first half, including 16 in the first quarter.

“How many shots did he get?” Martin said. “Thirty-one shots, that says it all right there. What can I say?”

Martin, who missed seven of nine shots, has missed 16 of 19 shots in his last two games.

“I’m not playing well and I’m letting my teammates down,” Martin said. “I’ve got to get out of this very quickly.”

Clipper guard Brent Barry is confident that Martin will snap out of his slump.

“Darrick is going to work his way out of it,” Barry said. “I don’t think that’s a problem. Having to run around and guard Damon is a tough duty. When he’s hitting shots it gets frustrating.”

Coach Bill Fitch also used Barry and James Robinson to check Stoudamire, but they didn’t do much better than Martin.

Stoudamire, who had 14 points in the final 4:22 of the first quarter, made a three-point shot and a 17-foot jump shot after Robinson replaced Martin with 46 seconds remaining in the first quarter.

“He had it going on tonight,” Robinson said. “And we didn’t defend him well. He was hot. It happens. This is the NBA.

“He’s the man on the team. Who’s going to say something to him if he misses?”

Stoudamire made a three-point shot over Barry to give the Raptors a 13-point lead with 3:51 remaining in the game.

“I guarded him once and that was enough,” Barry said. “He came off three screens, but it seemed like 50.

“Any time Damon gets going it’s going to be a tough night to play against the Raptors. When he gets confidence scoring and he starts drawing the double team, then he starts kicking the ball off to guys and they start scoring.

“He makes the game a lot of fun when he’s able to get hot . . . not for us but for them.”

Fitch said Stoudamire capitalized when the Clippers double-teamed him.

“I’m sure that there’s been nights when he’s had less than 36 points,” Fitch said. “But when he gets it going and starts shooting the ball like that, the only way to stop him is to put two men on him. And if you put two men on him, you get caught rotating and some of those big guys shoot layups.

“That’s what you call making the guys around you better.”

The Clippers, who have given up more than 100 points in their last six games, have played poor defense on the first three games of a six-game, nine-day trip.

Detroit guard Grant Hill scored 33 points as the Pistons defeated the Clippers by 28 points Sunday. Milwaukee forward Glenn Robinson had 33 points in the Bucks’ 15-point victory Monday.

“We’re not stopping anybody,” Murray said. “Players have been having great games against us this whole trip. All the star players have been averaging 30 points on us.”