Odom to Miss at Least Three Weeks

As expected, forward Lamar Odom will be lost to the Clippers for much longer than a game or two. The team announced that Odom will be sidelined for at least three weeks because of a sprained right wrist, an injury originally suffered Dec. 16 against the Detroit Pistons.

Odom’s wrist was placed in a cast Thursday and he was put on the injured list. Forward Harold Jamison, who has been on the injured list since Dec. 20 because of a shin contusion, was activated.

Coach Alvin Gentry had been hinting for some time that this was the best way to go with Odom. There was no sense having him play with one healthy wrist while attempting to keep pace in the competitive Western Conference.

Odom said the other day, “I do want to play down the stretch. It’s frustrating trying to play with one hand. The pain is just too much.” He also said he believes he returned too quickly Jan. 2 after sitting out three games.

If all goes as planned, Odom will sit out until the Clippers’ return to action after the All-Star break with a Feb. 14 game against the San Antonio Spurs at Staples Center. He already has been sidelined for six games because of the injury and probably will miss at least eight more games.

Odom is averaging 13.1 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.9 assists in 29 games. Corey Maggette has been filling in for Odom at small forward and is expected to continue in that role. Maggette matched his career high with 28 points in Wednesday’s victory over the Lakers.

On the day after their best victory of the season, the Clippers rested. Rallying to defeat the Lakers earned them a day off from practice Thursday, and more praise from Gentry.

“It’s a great win for us,” Gentry said of the Clippers’ 95-90 victory. “What it tells me is that we’re headed in the right direction. We’ve been able to come back from a 30-point loss [in the Dec. 14 game] to beat this team. We want to beat them. They are the measuring stick for the whole league. We’re trying to make this a rivalry by winning games.”

Guard Jeff McInnis put it this way: “This is bragging rights. We respect them, but we just wanted to win and show we could play too. Winning will be great for our confidence.

“It was a game we had to win and we came out in the second half and fought real hard.”

The Clippers’ victory was only their second over the Lakers in 20 games.

Gentry believes the Lakers’ current struggles are a mere hiccup for the two-time defending champions.

“I don’t care what their record is now, before anybody wins an NBA championship, they’re going to have to go through that team,” Gentry said.

Gentry was pleased to see Laker center Shaquille O’Neal score only 24 points and take only 10 rebounds.

“To think you’re going to stop him is kind of ridiculous,” he said. “You try to slow him down.... We did about as good a job as you can do on Shaq. We made him earn his points.”

It certainly didn’t hurt the Clippers’ cause to have their center, Michael Olowokandi, outplay O’Neal at times Wednesday. Olowokandi, who gives away an inch and at least 70 pounds to O’Neal, had 12 points and 12 rebounds.

Elliott Teaford

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Forward Thinking

With forward Lamar Odom expected to be sidelined at least three weeks because of a sprained ligament in his right wrist, Corey Maggette will take his place in the Clipper starting lineup, as he has already done 14 times this season. A look at Odom’s season statistics, those of Maggette in games in which Odom didn’t play and those of Maggette in games that both played (all averages are per game):

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