Anderson Slowly Regains Form

No one can blame the Clippers for thinking they’d have a better record had guard Derek Anderson not been hurt so much this season. But injuries are part of the game, and it’s going to take some time before Anderson gets back to full strength.

In the two games since he returned to the lineup after being sidelined nearly three weeks because of an ankle injury, Anderson has struggled, making only five of 16 shots coming off the bench. “I have to get my wind back and get some more quickness back,” said Anderson, who also had trouble adjusting when he returned after missing three games because of a concussion early in the season.

“I thought I was going to be a little sharper. . . . I have to get back to game-like speed.”

Anderson worked hard in Thursday’s practice and plans to do the same today when the Clippers hold their first full workout at Staples Center since the start of the regular season.

“There’s a little rust,” Coach Chris Ford said about Anderson. “He missed some time. . . . He has to get his conditioning.”

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The way center Michael Olowokandi sees it, things can not get any worse after two consecutive soft-as-cotton-candy efforts against the Lakers.

“I intend to go out and be more aggressive because I was worrying about fouls and was still getting in foul trouble all the time,” Olowokandi said.

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Backup center Keith Closs did not practice Thursday because of back spasms. . . . Ford is hoping second-year forward Brian Skinner, who has been out nine games because of an injured left ankle, will return in two weeks.