Little Goes Clippers’ Way Down the Stretch in Loss

VANCOUVER, Canada — Nothing beats the drama of an NBA showdown between the Clippers and the Vancouver Grizzlies.

Playing for the seventh time this calendar year, the league’s two lowly franchises battled to the bitter end Sunday night with the Grizzlies getting the better of a few questionable calls down the stretch to win, 85-84, before 12,584 at General Motors Place.

The Clippers, who were seeking their third win in four games, had a chance for victory in the final seconds but power forward Maurice Taylor wasn’t able to draw a foul on the Grizzlies’ Shareef Abdur-Rahim and his 12-foot fadeway fell short.

What hurt the Clippers most about the non-call on Taylor’s final shot was that it came moments after Abdur-Rahim made two go-ahead free throws with 26.2 seconds remaining thanks to a foul called on Taylor.

“I wanted the ball in my hands on the last situation and basically, I did a move and had [Abdur-Rahim] beat,” said Taylor, who played 41 minutes despite being slowed by flu. “I thought I got bumped. I thought it was the same call called on me down on the other end. But evidently [the officials] didn’t see it that way.”

Vancouver’s victory was the first for interim Coach Lionel Hollins, who replaced fired Brian Hill on Thursday. The Grizzlies lost by 23 points at Seattle on Saturday night in Hollins’ first game.

“It wasn’t the greatest-played game overall, but we did an outstanding job defensively,” Hollins said. “We made big plays down the stretch.”

Although the game was another loss for the Clippers (6-18), it was an important victory for the Grizzlies (5-19), who before Sunday had won only once since defeating the Clippers Nov. 14.

“This is a big, big win for us,” said Abdur-Rahim, who finished with 20 points and nine rebounds. “One, to get the monkey off our backs and two, because everyone wanted to get the win for coach.”

The Clippers might not have lost had rookie Lamar Odom not fouled out with less than three minutes to play. Playing his most complete game in weeks, Odom led the Clippers with 28 points and five rebounds but he was not able to avoid being disqualified for a league-leading sixth time this season.

“You’re never happy when one of your key players foul out,” Clipper Coach Chris Ford said. “Lamar was on a roll. He was playing well all night.”

The Clippers, who lost three times in four games last season to Vancouver and are now 1-2 against the Grizzlies this season, were again short-handed with shooting guard Derek Anderson and backup big man Brian Skinner out because of ankle injuries.

But for some reason, the Clippers play more like a team with a depleted roster.

In a game that had 18 lead changes with neither team leading by more than six points, the Clippers, who shot 46.4% from the floor, definitely played well enough to win. But again, they hurt themselves by missing nine of 22 free throws, including six of eight by Odom.

The Clippers also were hurt inside by the Grizzlies, who outrebounded them, 46-35, including a 14-5 edge on the offensive boards. But despite their shortcomings, the Clippers appeared to be in good position for a victory when Tyrone Nesby made a three-point basket to put them ahead, 84-82, with 1:13 left.

“When Nez made that shot, we thought we had it but we knew the game wasn’t over,” said point guard Troy Hudson, who played well with 10 points, nine assists and six rebounds.

After a free throw by Abdur-Rahim cut their lead to a point, the Clippers missed a chance to extend it when Taylor missed a jump hook and the rebound bounced off the hands of teammate Eric Piatkowski with 37.7 seconds remaining.

The Clippers played solid defense on Vancouver’s next possession only to have Abdur-Rahim get to the free-throw line after Taylor’s questionable foul. From there, the Grizzlies put it away and moved closer to catching the Clippers in their quest to not be the worst team in the Western Conference.