First Road Victory Is Right on

When the final buzzer sounded Tuesday, and the Clippers were celebrating their first road victory of the season, Darius Miles leaped playfully on Quentin Richardson’s back. Richardson then carried Miles, piggyback-style, off the court and toward a joyful locker room.

How fitting.

Richardson had hoisted his teammates on his back in the fourth quarter--in a figurative sense, of course--and carried them to a 96-92 victory over the Phoenix Suns before a crowd of 15,945 at America West Arena.

Richardson appeared tentative at the start, missing five of his first seven shots. But then again, so did all of the Clippers. They failed to box out the Suns and handled the ball poorly.

At the end, when it mattered most, Richardson couldn’t miss and the Clippers worked over the Suns en route to their second consecutive remarkable fourth-quarter comeback. Richardson had 11 points in the fourth on four-of-eight shooting, including three of four from behind the three-point arc.

And that was two points more than the Suns managed in the final quarter.

“He’s going to ride on my back next time,” Miles joked after the Clippers improved to 14-11, the first time they have been three games over the .500 mark since they were 6-3 on Nov. 17, 1995.

“He always comes through for us,” Miles said of Richardson, who made the go-ahead three-point basket in Sunday’s 82-77 victory over the Detroit Pistons.

Said Richardson of Miles: “He told me we rode my back in the fourth quarter. I told him I’m tired of carrying his skinny bag of bones.”

Midway through the second quarter, it looked as if the Clippers might get routed in their first national cable appearance of the season. Penny Hardaway, Tony Delk and Stephon Marbury propelled the Suns to a 49-37 lead.

“In the first half, we were just out there,” Miles said. “We were arguing with each other. In the fourth quarter, we started to play like we do at home.”

The Clippers’ victory Sunday over the Pistons gave them a 13-5 mark at Staples Center. But they had lost all six games on the road before facing the Suns.

For long stretches Tuesday, it seemed the Clippers might make it seven for seven. By halftime, they trailed, 56-49, had given up 13 offensive rebounds (out of 20 total for the Suns) and committed 12 turnovers (leading to 20 points).

The Clippers made brief runs at the Suns in the third and fourth quarters, but they couldn’t get past Phoenix until Richardson’s fastbreak layup gave them a 90-89 lead with 3:14 left. Miles also made a layup for a 92-89 lead with 2:39 to play.

Naturally, the Clippers didn’t immediately race away for a victory. Rodney Rogers swished a three-pointer with 1:54 remaining to rally Phoenix.

Lamar Odom countered for the Clippers with a driving layup, Earl Boykins made one of two free throws and so did Elton Brand. Phoenix failed to score another point after Rogers’ basket, and the Clippers leapfrogged the Suns (14-12) in the Pacific Division standings--moving from fourth place to third.

“It was a great win for us,” said Brand, who knifed through the Suns’ double-teaming defense to score 21 points. “I’m sure people on the East Coast don’t get a chance to see the Clippers on TV. People think of a team like Phoenix and they think they’re supposed to beat the Clippers. Well, we’ve beaten them twice now.”

The Clippers remain a work in progress, but at least they can point to some progress in the season’s first 25 games. They continue to commit all manner of mistakes and have glaring lapses in judgment and intensity, yet produce remarkable plays that keep them in contention.

Midway through the fourth quarter Tuesday, they seemed to be running through mud against the Suns. Hardaway, who scored 21 points, made a jump shot to give Phoenix an 85-79 lead.

After a timeout, Richardson made a three-point basket, then another and another, bringing the Clippers within 89-88. His layup, off a lead pass from Odom, with 3:14 to play gave them their first lead since the first quarter.

“I don’t know what Phoenix was thinking by leaving him open like that,” Clipper guard Corey Maggette said after Richardson had rallied the Clippers to their ninth victory in 12 games.