Illness Limits McInnis’ Role

Jeff McInnis didn’t feel so hot Sunday, but he still started his 38th game of the season. McInnis played only 25 minutes against the Toronto Raptors because of a stomach virus, missed all six of his shots and failed to score.

Corey Maggette wasn’t about to sit out another game and he returned to the floor after missing Friday’s game against the Charlotte Hornets because of a strained right knee. He had five points in 13 minutes.

Otherwise it was business as usual for the Clippers, who continue to forge ahead despite numerous illnesses and ailments.

“We stuck him in there,” Coach Alvin Gentry said of McInnis.

Gentry then stuck with backup point guard Earl Boykins for the fourth quarter.

“We switched Earl in there and he was going good, so we kept him in the mix,” he said.

Gentry used Maggette to give Lamar Odom about a 10-second rest at one point in the second half.

Both players are expected to play Tuesday, when the Clippers complete their six-game trip with a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

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The Clippers’ meltdown Friday against the Hornets weighed heavily on their minds Saturday and Sunday. Gentry was uncertain how they would respond after a 92-91 overtime loss when they faced Toronto.

Afterward, he was pleased with the Clippers’ resiliency.

“We showed resolve and toughness,” he said. “We could have easily come here and been devastated and laid down and gone through the motions, but we didn’t.”

Center Michael Olowokandi put it this way: “The loss itself got us over the hump [Sunday]. Everybody who cares enough about our team knew we had to make amends.”

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Toronto Coach Lenny Wilkens wasn’t the least bit surprised when the Clippers switched from a man-to-man defense to a zone to start the second quarter..

“Having seen so many zones, we know where we are supposed to be,” Wilkens said. “We want to force things and make it happen instead of letting it come to us. It’s not that we can’t shoot the ball, the guys aren’t executing.”

By game’s end, the Raptors had only 13 assists, a season low.

Elliott Teaford