Weary Odom Gets a Full Workout

Lamar Odom has never had a nickname that sticks. He’s been called “L.O.,” “the Package” and “L-Train,” but after Wednesday night’s win over Minnesota, he’ll answer to “the 48-minute Man.”

Because the Clippers had to play without injured regulars Maurice Taylor, Derek Anderson and Eric Piatkowski, Odom had to play the entire game against the Timberwolves.

It was a tiring experience. Not only did Odom take 21 shots, score 22 points and grab seven rebounds, he also had to play defense against a variety of players.

He spent time at power forward banging against Kevin Garnett, small forward chasing Wally Szczerbiak and even a little at shooting guard, on Anthony Peeler and Malik Sealy.

“I was really tired and I think that caused my mental lapses. At the end of the third [quarter], I was really out of it,” Odom said. “I was just trying to stay mentally in it.”

The fun matchup to watch was when Odom faced Garnett, who did his best to intimidate the Clipper rookie from the start.

“I’ve been watching him so long, you kind of know what to expect but you don’t really know how real he is until you see that dude,” Odom said of Garnett. “I don’t think he likes to be called a seven-footer but he is seven-foot. He’s so quick and athletic and smart. He’s a great player.”

*

Anderson, who suffered a mild concussion against Milwaukee on Tuesday, underwent a CT scan, which was negative. He will not play Friday at Toronto but he is hopeful he’ll be ready to play Saturday at Washington, the last game of the team’s five-game trip.

Piatkowski, who has missed the last seven games because of bruised ribs, has been cleared by doctors and will play against the Raptors. . . . Michael Olowokandi had his most complete game of the season with 16 points and 12 rebounds, mainly against Radoslav Nesterovic, whom he played with in Italy for Kinder Bologna before last season’s lockout ended.