Manpower Shortage, Bad Start Doom the Clippers

At this rate Clipper Coach Chris Ford might have to suit up and play.

The trip began with Maurice Taylor going down with a mid-foot sprain at Vancouver, followed by Derek Anderson suffering a mild concussion at Milwaukee, then Friday night they played the Toronto Raptors without Tyrone Nesby, who returned to Los Angeles to be with his wife, who gave birth to a baby girl Thursday night.

But the Clippers didn’t make it any easier on themselves by missing 14 of their first 15 shots, including three dunk attempts, and spotting Toronto a 13-point lead halfway into the first quarter.

The Clippers, however, came back strong and even held a five-point lead late in the third quarter, but Toronto finished stronger to win, 106-100, before 16,368 at Air Canada Centre.

Troy Hudson led the Clippers (2-7) with 20 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals, and Brian Skinner had 18 points, 16 rebounds and four blocked shots.

Rookie Lamar Odom had an off night, making only six of 16 shots, and he fouled out late in the game. He finished with 16 points, seven rebounds and six turnovers.

“It’s very frustrating right now,” said Hudson, who busted out of a shooting slump with 14 third-quarter points. “We had a great effort with some key men down and Tyrone at home. The key for us is to stay confident that when we do get healthy and strong we’ll be winning these games.”

Ford may be doing the best coaching of his career trying to keep the Clippers together. His job became even more difficult Friday night because of a lackluster game from center Michael Olowokandi and the temporary loss of Skinner, who sat out several minutes in the second half after getting poked in his left eye.

At one stage late in the third quarter, Ford had a lineup of Keith Closs, Anthony Avent, Lamar Odom, Eric Murdock and Hudson on the floor and, surprisingly, the Clippers led by a point.

“I’m pleased with the way we’re playing, but we just need more hands on deck,” Ford said. “We’re doing a good job of trying to stay within the game plan.”

Effort is one thing, but the Clippers still have a bad habit of making mental errors at the wrong time. In a game in which Toronto’s “Mr. Highlight,” Vince Carter, struggled some, finishing with 19 points and seven rebounds, the Clippers had a chance to steal a victory.

But they didn’t follow through with their goal of not allowing the Raptors’ role players to take over. Antonio Davis led Toronto (6-2) with 20 points and took full advantage of Olowokandi, who fouled out with six rebounds and two points in only 15 minutes.

Raptor sharpshooter Dell Curry, who was not supposed to be left open, came off the bench to score 10 points in the fourth quarter and finished with a season-high 16. And he made all four of his three-point shots.

Fellow reserve Tracy McGrady, who did not play because of an ankle sprain in the Raptors’ loss at Washington on Thursday, also had a big final period, with 12 of his 14 points. He also finished with five rebounds, five assists and three blocked shots.

But maybe the Clippers’ biggest lapse was at the free-throw line, where they made 20 of 30 for 66.7% after entering the game shooting 73.7%.

“Only time will tell if everyone will stay on the same page and play together,” said Avent, who had 11 points in 20 minutes, the most he has played this season. “The past three games, this team has really played together. No one guy has taken upon himself.”

One bright spot for the Clippers was the return of shooting guard Eric Piatkowski, who made four of eight three-point tries and had 19 points and seven rebounds. Anderson is expected to play tonight at Washington, the fifth and final game of a seven-day trip.

“We’re such a young team, but we’re going to win a lot of games. . . . It may take us a little while to get everything down,” said Piatkowski, who played with several stitches in his chin after banging heads with assistant Jim Todd during a practice drill on Thursday.

“Hopefully, we’ve [become a better team] because everyone has gotten a chance to play. When those guys come back, maybe [Ford] will not have to rely so heavily on Mo and Lamar for 45 minutes a game. They’ll then be at their best level because they don’t have to play the entire game.”