Gentry Must Make a Cut to Make Room for Maggette

Forward Corey Maggette is about to return, and that means somebody has to go.

Maggette, who has been on the injured list while recovering from a mild concussion, is eligible to return for Monday night’s game against the San Antonio Spurs. Elbowed in the head by Dikembe Mutombo of the Atlanta Hawks on Jan. 13, Maggette says that the ensuing headaches have all but disappeared. He is expected to get a medical clearance tonight.

So who is likely to be removed from the roster? There are three candidates: 5-foot-5 guard Earl Boykins, who has become a crowd favorite, forward Derek Strong or forward/center Brian Skinner.

“I don’t know,” Clipper Coach Alvin Gentry said when asked to name the odd man out. “It’s a tough decision, but it’s got to be made.”

Strong, perhaps to assure that he is not the one, came to Gentry on Friday to ask what he could do to get more playing time.

Strong has appeared in only 20 of the Clippers’ 43 games, getting eight starts. He has averaged 18.9 minutes.

“He wanted to know what he needs to do,” Gentry said. “That’s fine. It’s better to come to me than to sit and pout.”

*

Center Michael Olowokandi (slightly sprained ankle) and guard Quentin Richardson (bruised toe) are expected to play tonight. . . . The Clippers train at L.A. Southwest College, formerly used by the Lakers. “We get many more autograph seekers waiting outside now for the Clippers than we did for the Lakers,” said Henry Washington, the school’s football coach. “It’s kind of amazing.”

TONIGHT

vs. Sacramento, 7:30

Fox Sports Net 2

* Site--Staples Center.

* Radio--KXTA (1150).

* Records--Clippers 13-30, Kings 28-12.

* Record vs. Kings (1999-2000)--1-3.

* Update--Although the Clippers have an all-time mark of 57-79 against the Kings, the Clippers have been successful at home against the Kings, going 40-29. But these are hardly the Kings of old. They come in with the second highest win total in the Western Conference, third best in the NBA. The Clippers, on the other hand, are in an all-too-familiar tailspin, having lost six in a row.

* Tickets--(800) 462-2849. Tonight’s game is expected to be a sellout, with only a few hundred tickets remaining as of Friday afternoon.