Another Bump in Road

Jeff McInnis was in no mood to talk after the Clippers’ 119-115 overtime loss Monday night to the Memphis Grizzlies at the Pyramid. Coach Alvin Gentry spoke only in vague terms when quizzed about McInnis’ absence during the final 3:50 of the fourth quarter and all of the five-minute overtime.

“I’m going to play the guys I think can help us win games,” Gentry said. “There’s a lot more to being a part of a team than just having ability on the court. I’m going to have the people out there that I think will give us the best chance to win.”

McInnis left without speaking to reporters.

It seems to always be something with these Clippers, who squandered a 12-point halftime lead and fell to 3-15 on the road and 0-5 in overtime.

McInnis and Gentry seemed to be at odds after McInnis barked at the referees over a non-call midway through the third quarter.

While McInnis was arguing for a foul call, Grizzly point guard Brevin Knight raced the other way to score an uncontested basket that tied the score at 65 .

Gentry replaced McInnis moments later and played his starting point guard for only six minutes in the fourth quarter, sitting him out in favor of Earl Boykins, who stands 5 feet 5. Boykins had seven points and seven assists in 22 minutes.

The Clippers rallied from a 94-85 deficit in the final 4:20 of regulation, pulling even at 100 on Elton Brand’s layup and free throw after Tony Massenburg fouled him with 12.6 seconds left.

Memphis pulled away steadily in overtime. Knight made five of six free throws late and the Grizzlies ended a seven-game losing streak. Knight had 19 points and 15 assists. Rookie Pau Gasol led the Grizzlies with 23 points and 10 rebounds.

Brand had 26 points and 10 rebounds and center Michael Olowokandi matched his career high with 27 points. But the Clippers were missing their floor leader in crunch time. McInnis had 14 points in the first half, but only two in the second. He also had eight assists in 32 minutes.

Asked if there was one specific thing that prompted McInnis’ benching, Gentry said, “I’m going to play the people that give us the best chance to win the game. Do I make the right decisions all the time? No.”

Later, Gentry was slightly more expansive.

“It’s a whole lot of things that don’t need to be discussed in the paper,” he said. “It’s something that will be discussed within the team.”

Asked if McInnis would start tonight against the Mavericks at Dallas, Gentry said, “Sure he does. Sure he does.”

The Clippers played an almost flawless first half, leading, 52-40, shooting 51.2% and limiting the Grizzlies, who were without point guard Jason Williams because of ingrown toenails, to 40.5% shooting.

But the Clippers, as is their custom on the road, failed to sustain their energy and enthusiasm in the third quarter. They stopped making plays and started to get down on each other.

“It can’t be like that,” Brand said. “We win together. We go down together. We were bickering and all of a sudden you looked up and we were down by four points [in the third quarter].”

Soon enough, the Clippers were all but finished. They trailed by nine points after Knight’s basket with 4:20 left in regulation. Brand took control inside and helped bring the Clippers back, scoring nine of their final 15 points. He would foul out with 3:10 left in overtime, however.

Olowokandi became the go-to guy, making two quick hook shots in overtime, but the Clippers faded and the Grizzlies surged.

Later, Gentry was asked if versatile forward Lamar Odom, on the injured list because of a sprained right wrist, would have helped down the stretch. The obvious answer was, yes, but Gentry refused to use Odom’s absence as an excuse.

“They’ve got their second-best player sitting out,” Gentry said, referring to the Grizzlies’ Michael Dickerson, sidelined by a stress fracture. “They don’t have Lorenzen Wright either [because of a knee injury]. That’s why you have 12 players on the roster. You have to play with what you have. They have to come through for you.”