Gentry Unleashes Energetic Defense

It may have taken the Clippers a little longer than Coach Alvin Gentry had hoped, but they are finally starting to feature their overall athletic talent with more full-court trapping defenses.

Because of the team’s youth and lack of solid defensive fundamentals, Gentry and his staff chose not to put the players in risky situations early in the season. Not any more.

“We’ve done more [half-court traps] over the last three or four games than we’ve done the whole season,” Gentry said before the Clippers played Miami on Wednesday night at Staples Center. “Hopefully, we’ll be able to move it up another level . . . I think we have a pretty good sound defensive situation where we can now be a little more active and gamble more.”

Lamar Odom figured it was only a matter of time before the Clippers became more aggressive.

“We’re young and we have so many people who can come right off the bench and play,” he said. “We might as well play a more up-tempo style on both defense and offense.”

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The Clippers entered Wednesday’s game as the best rebounding team in the NBA, despite not having a player ranked in the top 25. The Clippers averaged 45.6 rebounds over the first 23 games with Odom grabbing a team-high 7.9 a game.

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Rookie Quentin Richardson suffered a right thigh bruise in the third quarter and did not return. He is listed as day to day.