Tendon Problems Sideline Taylor

For several weeks, Maurice Taylor has been hampered by pain in both of his Achilles’ tendons and Sunday, he finally was kept from playing by the Clipper coaching and medical staff against Denver.

“This has been ailing me over time . . . and I’m thinking it’s more than what I originally thought it was,” said Taylor, whose injury is listed as bi-lateral Achilles’ tendinitis. “There’s no way it should have been hurting this long . . . When I woke up today, they were real tight. In warm-ups they were too tight. I was scared if I did too much I’d risk tearing them. The coaches and the trainers decided to hold me out at the last minute.”

Taylor is listed as day-to-day but he said he’s not sure when he’ll be able to play again.

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Lorenzen Wright replaced Taylor at power forward and had 11 rebounds in 35 minutes. The Clippers outrebounded Denver, 42-40, but Coach Chris Ford was unhappy with the 29 combined rebounds grabbed by Antonio McDyess and Danny Fortson.

“They kept the ball alive too many times,” Ford said about McDyess and Fortson’s 10 offensive boards.

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In his second game since being activated off the injured list, point guard Sherman Douglas played well. He made five of eight shots for 10 points and had a team-high six assists in 27 minutes. . . . Denver’s Nick Van Exel did not play in the second half because of inflammation in his left knee. He was considered probable for tonight’s return to the Great Western Forum against the Lakers.