Players Limping Along

The Clippers limped into town to begin a four-game trip against the 76ers as banged up as ever.

Quentin Richardson suffered a hyperextended right knee in Sunday’s victory over the Detroit Pistons. An MRI exam showed no damaged cartilage and he played 22 minutes Wednesday against Philadelphia.

Corey Maggette’s right knee swelled after Sunday’s game and after Monday’s practice. An MRI exam showed torn cartilage, but he played 39 minutes against the 76ers. Arthroscopic surgery remains a possibility, but Maggette is determined to play with the pain.

Coach Alvin Gentry has stopped worrying about what might next happen to his walking wounded. He will closely monitor how much he plays Richardson and Maggette and limit their practice time in order to keep them as sound as possible.

“We’re struggling with our health, but that’s nothing new,” Gentry said before the Clippers’ overtime loss to the 76ers.

Lamar Odom re-injured his sprained right ankle and had it placed in a cast Aug. 26. Elton Brand underwent arthroscopic surgery to remove damaged cartilage Sept. 26. Michael Olowokandi suffered from tendinitis in his left knee and a strained left hip flexor. Richardson sprained his right knee while performing a conditioning drill on the fourth day of training camp.

Gentry planned to have all four in the starting lineup, with Maggette as a key reserve when the regular season began last week.

“I’ll play him if he can play,” Gentry said of Maggette. “If he can’t play, I’ll play somebody else. He can’t be silly about this. If he’s physically able to play, he’ll play. Corey’s got to be smart about it, but if he’s able to play, we need him out there.”

Of Richardson, Gentry said, “It’s hard to tell right now. I’ll know more after we stick him out there.”

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Eric Piatkowski played his 558th game as a Clipper, tying him for second with Loy Vaught on the franchise’s all-time list.