Richardson Makes Bid for Sixth-Man Award

Clipper guard Quentin Richardson was averaging 13.8 points and 4.2 rebounds in 26.8 minutes going into Tuesday’s game against the Sacramento Kings. Bobby Jackson, a Sacramento guard, was averaging 11.1 points and 3.3 rebounds in 22.1 minutes.

Sure, Tuesday featured the Clippers versus the Kings, two of the NBA’s better and more exciting teams. But it also showcased two of the league’s best reserves, its leading candidates for sixth man of the year honors.

Clipper Coach Alvin Gentry dismissed any notions that there are others deserving of the award. He also suggested that Richardson had better win this season because he’ll probably be a starter in 2002-03.

“I like him coming off the bench now,” Gentry said. “He knows he’s going to play significant minutes. He likes the role. But that’s not to say that next year he won’t be a starter. This season, he and Darius [Miles, a reserve forward] are more comfortable coming off the bench.”

Gentry also likes the spark Richardson gives the Clippers when he enters, usually with Miles near the end of the first quarter or at the beginning of the second.

“He creates mismatches right off on post-ups,” Gentry said of Richardson.

Small forward Corey Maggette warmed up with his teammates before the game, but did not play because of two dislocated bones in his right hand. Maggette, on the injured list since Feb. 22, is expected to play Friday against the Suns at Phoenix.

“I was hoping I could start back against San Antonio and [against Sacramento],” said Maggette, who underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee while he was on the injured list. “I gotta crawl before I can start to walk again.”

Gentry spoke in a whisper again Tuesday because of the cold he caught from his young sons. But he confessed to earning his technical foul in Monday’s loss to the Spurs. His voice did not fail him when he bellowed at the referees midway through the second quarter.

“It wasn’t D.J.,” he said, referring to assistant Dennis Johnson. “I deserved it.”

The final 10 games for the Clippers: Friday, at Phoenix; Saturday, Utah; April 3, at Utah; April 4, at Dallas; April 7, Denver; April 8, at Seattle; April 12, Sacramento; April 13, Minnesota; April 16, Memphis; and April 17, at Golden State.