Hudson Won’t Forget Debut

Point guard Troy Hudson’s second game as a Clipper was not boring. Hudson, who signed a 10-day contract on Tuesday after playing in the Continental Basketball Assn., had five points, three rebounds, three assists and six fouls in 17 minutes.

It was his matchup with Seattle’s Gary Payton early in the fourth quarter Friday that everyone will remember.

“He’s a great player. . . . I was just trying to hold my own,” said Hudson, who played eight games with Utah last season. “[Payton] kind of got the best of me for a while, but I’m going to play hard every night. It doesn’t matter if it’s an all-star or a rookie, I am just going to go out and do my best.”

With Pooh Richardson eligible to return from the injured list after tonight’s game and Sherman Douglas three games from doing the same, Hudson does not play like a person worried about returning to the CBA.

“There are things that I can do better,” he said. “I just want to do things to help the team win. I’m trying to make plays. . . . I was just being aggressive and the refs caught me with a couple of fouls. . . . But as long as I’m being aggressive and playing hard, I’m doing my best.”

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Seattle’s Hersey Hawkins was impressed with the Clippers’ fight in their 104-98 loss.

“They played well the last time they were in this building,” he said. “The game went into the fourth quarter, but we were able to get a big enough lead and win so it didn’t look like they were all that close. But [the Clippers] play extremely hard regardless of what their record is.”

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After defeating Minnesota to close a five-game trip last week, the Clippers came close to winning consecutive road games for the first time in almost two years. The last time they won two in a row was April 1997 when they won four consecutive games away from the Sports Arena. They defeated Orlando, Boston, New Jersey and Dallas to help them qualify for the playoffs.

TONIGHT

vs. Utah, 7:30

Fox Sports West 2

* Site--Arrowhead Pond.

* Radio--KXTA (1150).

* Records--Clippers 2-24, Jazz 21-6.

* Record vs. Jazz--0-1.

* Update--Utah is in the hunt for the league’s best record and has won two in a row after Friday night’s victory at Vancouver. The Jazz has won nine of 10 against the Clippers. Karl Malone is third in the NBA in scoring at 23.5 points per game and ranks among the league leaders with a 9.6 rebounding average. John Stockton is eighth in assists at 7.4 a game.

* Tickets--(213) 745-0400.