Ailing Clippers Go Extra Miles

Racing down the court with the game still very much in doubt in the fourth quarter Tuesday, Quentin Richardson spotted a streaking Darius Miles on the opposite wing. Richardson never broke stride, arching a lob pass Miles’ way.

Miles launched himself after the ball, catching it and tossing it through the hoop in one spectacular motion--more of a soft dunk than a slam dunk.

But those two points propelled the Clippers to a 112-97 victory over Portland, ending their three-game losing streak and extending the Trail Blazers’ skid to five in a row before an often raucous sellout crowd of 18,964 at Staples Center.

Trailing the play, Elton Brand marveled at the pass and the dunk, which gave the Clippers a 106-95 lead with 3:22 remaining in the game. The Clippers would outscore the Trail Blazers, 6-2, the rest of the way, making it look easier than it was.

“I think it went out of Staples,” Brand joked later. “Darius brought it back to earth. I was thinking as I was running down court to rebound, ‘Oh, that’s out of bounds.’ But that shows his athleticism right there. He brought it back down.”

It would be one thing if that highlight-reel dunk was all the 20-year-old Miles gave the Clippers, but there was so much more. Miles made long-range jump shots, hooks from the low block and dunks. He made eight of 11 shots en route to 17 points in 29 minutes. And by no means was Miles’ skywalking the only memorable moment for the Clippers. Seven Clippers scored in double figures--led by 23 from point guard Jeff McInnis and 19 from Richardson.

By game’s end, it was difficult to comprehend how much this game meant to the Clippers. They had lost three in a row going into the game and face not one, but two grueling stretches of four games in five nights in the next two weeks.

The Clippers also were without starting center Michael Olowokandi, who came down with food poisoning, and versatile swingman Lamar Odom, who sat out his third game because of a badly sprained right wrist.

So any play that clicked like Richardson to Miles was bound to give the Clippers a jolt of adrenaline.

“I thought it was a real important win for us,” Coach Alvin Gentry said. “To step up like we did was great, especially missing two starters. Darius was sensational all night. If he can shoot it like that, he becomes almost impossible to guard.”

If Miles continues to shoot well from the perimeter, opponents will be forced to guard him more closely, which will open up space for post players such as Brand and Olowokandi.

What’s more, the Clippers welcomed back shooting guard Eric Piatkowski to the starting lineup after he battled a nagging strained right hip flexor for all of last month. Piatkowski had 10 points in 25 minutes.

“You can’t look at a stat sheet and see what ‘Pike’ does for us,” Gentry said of Piatkowski. “He creates space right away when he’s on the floor, so having him out there is great.”

Brand faced solo coverage Tuesday, primarily from Rasheed Wallace, a departure from recent games without Piatkowski. Freed from persistent double-teaming, Brand scored 16 points and took eight rebounds against Portland.

Exploiting the opposition’s weaknesses hasn’t always been a Clipper strength this season, but they took advantage of all the Trail Blazers had to give Tuesday. The Clippers didn’t appear to be troubled by their three-game losing streak, which included a dispiriting overtime loss Sunday against the Boston Celtics.

The Clippers attacked Portland from the key and from the perimeter, spinning the Trail Blazers around and around. When Portland got close late, after trailing by as many as 18 points early in the third quarter, the Clippers played as if they were without a care in the world.

“We needed to win just for our confidence,” Piatkowski said. “We had lost some games we should have won. I didn’t know what to expect playing on New Year’s Day. But we played a solid all-around game. We had seven guys in double figures. Maybe we’re growing up.”

The next step in the Clippers’ maturing process is showing the same grace under pressure on the road. They play eight of their next nine away from Staples Center, starting tonight against the Kings at Sacramento. They are 1-7 on the road.