Brand Also Won’t Play Tonight

The hits keep coming for the Clippers.

They played Friday against the Phoenix Suns without power forward Elton Brand, their leading scorer and rebound. Brand suffered a strained right calf in Monday’s victory against the San Antonio Spurs. He had only 10 points and four rebounds during Wednesday’s loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.

The team kept Brand’s injury a secret until Friday, when it became obvious that the All-Star could not play. Rookie Chris Wilcox started in Brand’s place.

Brand will not play tonight against the Denver Nuggets.

“I tried to play through it,” said Brand, who limped around the locker room before the game. “I just came down wrong on it. I can’t jump right now.”

In addition to Brand, the Clippers were without two other starters: small forward Lamar Odom (wrist/ankle) and shooting guard Eric Piatkowski (abdominal strain). Plus, point guard Andre Miller is nursing a sprained left ankle.

“It’s kind of crazy the way it’s gone for us,” Coach Alvin Gentry said of the team’s string of injuries.

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TONIGHT

vs. Denver, 7:30, Channel 5

Site -- Staples Center.

Radio -- KXTA (1150).

Records -- Clippers 11-16, Nuggets 6-21.

Record vs. Nuggets -- 0-1.

Update -- The Nuggets won the teams’ first meeting this season, on Nov. 22 at Denver, rallying from a 66-50 deficit in the final 9 1/2 minutes. James Posey’s shot at the buzzer gave the Nuggets a 72-70 victory. The Nuggets on Wednesday traded Posey to the Houston Rockets as part of a three-team deal. The Nuggets acquired Mark Bryant, Art Long and a first-round pick from the Philadelphia 76ers and a second-round pick from Houston. Denver’s 89-80 defeat by Orlando Friday at the Pepsi Center extended the Nuggets’ losing streak to seven.

Tickets -- (800) 462-2849.