Players Have Plenty of Time to Feel at Home

Losses on the road against the San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets did little to dent the Clippers’ confidence. After all, they said, it’s only two games, and now they get to play their first at home.

“It’s too early to be upset by the big picture,” forward Elton Brand said. “We know the expectations of our team are higher than ever. But let us grow and jell as a team and we’ll see what happens.”

Or, as guard Jeff McInnis put it: “We’ll be OK.”

McInnis said he believes once the Clippers get a chance to stay at home awhile they’ll be a good deal better off. After all, they spent most of training camp on the road, either working out in Palm Desert or playing exhibition games around the country.

The Clippers returned to Palm Desert for five days, spent one night in their own beds, then hit the road again for games earlier this week in Texas.

“We’ve been doing too much traveling,” McInnis said.

The Clippers play 11 of their next 13 games at Staples Center.

“It’s early and we have to grow as a team,” Brand said. “Nobody said it was going to be easy. We had to play two tough teams to start the season, but we’ll be all right.”

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The Clippers’ overtime record last season was a topic for discussion in the wake of their overtime loss Thursday to the Rockets. Last season, the Clippers were 3-13 in overtime, losing eight consecutive at one point.

“We’ve got to find a way to start winning these close games and not go through what we did last year,” Coach Alvin Gentry said. “We played confidently enough [against Houston] that we thought we were going to win the game.”

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Gentry continues to rave about Brand, who leads the team with averages of 26.5 points and 10 rebounds. “He is a heck of a player,” Gentry said. “Judging from our first two games, he’s an all-star-type player. ... Brand, Lamar Odom and Sean Rooks were elected team captains Friday in a vote of the players. Rooks, 32, is the oldest player on the NBA’s youngest team (average age: 24.8).

TONIGHT

vs. Golden State 7:30, Fox Sports Net 2

Site--Staples Center.

Radio--KLAC (570).

Records--Clippers 0-2, Warriors 0-2.

Record vs. Warriors (2000-01)--3-1.

Update--Sounding a great deal like a Clipper, Troy Murphy of Golden State said after the Warriors’ loss Thursday against the Phoenix Suns, “We’re going to start to turn it around. We’re a young team. I definitely think things are looking up and will get better.” The Clippers have won the last two games against the Warriors. Golden State has won only twice since Feb. 7. Tonight’s game will feature a ceremonial opening tip, with Captain Wade White of the California Urban Search and Rescue Task Force tossing an autographed red, white and blue ball. White was in the first unit that left Los Angeles on Sept. 11 to help in rescue efforts at the World Trade Center. As of Friday afternoon, only 300 tickets remained.

Tickets--(800) 462-2849.