It Was Home Away From Home

The Clippers had more than their share of support during Thursday night’s loss to the New Jersey Nets at Continental Airlines Arena.

Rookie Lamar Odom, from Queens, N.Y., had at least 80 family members and friends at the game. Point guard Eric Murdock, a native of New Brunswick, N.J., had at least 20 and power forward Anthony Avent, who is from Newark, N.J., had 16.

Second-year guard Charles Jones, who is from Brooklyn, N.Y., had less than 10 because he didn’t expect to play. He had not played in the previous three games.

But when starter Derek Anderson got into foul trouble, Jones got the call, thanks in part because of the absence of swingman Tyrone Nesby, who missed his second game to be with his ailing mother in Kentucky.

“I was surprised to get in,” said Jones, who missed three shot attempts in 15 minutes but had four assists and played solid defense on New Jersey’s Stephon Marbury. “I tried to do what I could. . . . I could have done a lot better.

“If I knew I was going to play, I would have had a lot more people at the game.”