Clippers Close Out Win Over Nuggets in Style

It’s evident that the Clippers never like to do things the easy way.

With Denver missing power forward Antonio McDyess because of an injured knee, the Clipper defense and rebounding disappeared for a little over three quarters before making its presence felt over the final six minutes Monday night in a 99-86 victory over the Nuggets before 12,068 at Staples Center.

Led by the energy of Corey Maggette, Keyon Dooling and Darius Miles, the Clippers rallied from a seven-point fourth quarter deficit and held Denver to only 29 points in the second half. It was the Clippers’ second win in a row and sixth over their last nine games.

“We played a little defense and really focused on stopping them,” said Lamar Odom about the Clippers’ fourth quarter, which included a 22-4 run to finish the game. “I think we may have slacked off a little bit with them not having McDyess.”

Odom led the Clippers with 27 points and seven rebounds but his teammates definitely did their part.

Coming off a career-high 23 points in a victory over Sacramento on Friday, Maggette had 14 points in 19 minutes off the bench. Dooling had eight points in 14 minutes and Miles scored only seven but made plenty of key hustle plays down the stretch.

“I know when I got in to play in the first half, I was cold and couldn’t get into a groove like I usually do,” said Maggette, who also had four rebounds and two steals.

“But in the second half. . . . I got loose and got into the game. It wasn’t like I was scoring but I was playing harder on defense.”

It was the defense which kept the Clippers from losing the type of game they have lost in the past. All they have to do is look back to games they lost earlier this season against Washington, New Jersey and Golden State.

“They got up and and defended well,” Denver Coach Dan Issel said about the Clippers’ fourth-quarter surge.

“They pushed the tempo and we didn’t get back in time to defend. We just didn’t do a good job of taking care of the ball and that is a credit to their defense.”

The Clippers started the game playing just like they finished Friday in their impressive victory over Sacramento. With point guard Jeff McInnis running the offense, the Clippers shot 55% in the opening quarter.

Even after center Michael Olowokandi, who had six rebounds in the first three minutes of the game, went to the bench with three fouls midway into the first quarter, the Clippers still controlled the flow and took a 26-21 lead into the second quarter.

But once Coach Alvin Gentry began to insert youngsters Miles, Maggette, Dooling and Quentin Richardson, the Clippers lost their rhythm and the Nuggets found theirs.

“It was a matter that [the Nuggets] turned it up and got into a groove and we began to sub,” said veteran Sean Rooks about the Clippers’ second-quarter collapse.

With McDyess out, Issel figured he had nothing to lose by using point guards Nick Van Exel and Robert Pack in the backcourt together . . . and the move worked to perfection. The Nuggets erased a 32-23 deficit in the blink of an eye.

Pack scored 11 second-quarter points and Denver took a 57-51 halftime lead. It didn’t help that Denver held a 22-11 rebounding edge.

“We played a good first quarter and then we got lackadaisical in the second,” Gentry said.

In the third quarter, the Clippers rebounded better but couldn’t gain ground on the Nuggets, who led, 74-67, heading into the final quarter.

For a while in the fourth quarter, the Clippers didn’t look like they would be able to make up ground on the Nuggets. But then they remembered what winning is all about.