Gentry Is Concerned About Poor Choices

The Clippers have committed 23 turnovers in each of their last two games and have lost both games to grateful opponents eager to capitalize on their mistakes. The Clippers have averaged 18.4 turnovers in five games to start the season after averaging 14.8 in 2001-02.

“We’ve got to make better decisions,” Coach Alvin Gentry said Saturday. “We’ve got to be smarter. Our effort has been fine. We play a team like New Jersey [Friday] and we’re up by eight or nine points and we turned the ball over three straight possessions and they scored on three straight possessions.

“Our effort has been great. I’ve got no complaints about our effort, but we have got to play smarter.”

The Nets scored 29 points off Clipper turnovers en route to a 106-92 victory Friday. The Philadelphia 76ers turned the Clippers’ turnovers into 28 points en route to a 101-99 overtime victory Wednesday.

“We get three or four traveling calls every game and charging calls, too,” point guard Andre Miller said after committing seven turnovers Friday. “We’re forcing the issue too much. We’re trying too hard to make plays and get to the basket.”

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Gentry also said he would like to see the Clippers keep going inside to forward Elton Brand and center Michael Olowokandi. The Clippers went away from them late in Friday’s game. Brand had 20 points, but only four points and two shots in the fourth quarter. Olowokandi had 18 points, but only two points and two shots in the fourth.

“We’ve got to have a pecking order,” Gentry said. “The pecking order has to be to throw the ball inside until we can’t do it anymore. Elton and Michael are playing great basketball. Some of our guys have to be accepting of their roles on the team. They might not get the shots. We’ve got to establish a pecking order on this team.”

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TODAY

at Orlando

2 PST, Channel 5

Site -- TD Waterhouse Centre.

Radio -- KXTA (1150).

Records -- Clippers 1-4, Magic 5-1.

Record vs. Magic (2001-02) -- 1-1.

Update -- Having unsuccessfully chased Philadelphia’s Allen Iverson (34 points) and New Jersey’s Jason Kidd (35) in their last two games, the Clippers get a look at Orlando’s Tracy McGrady, who is every bit as difficult to stop. McGrady is averaging 30.7 points. He had 47 in the Magic’s loss to the Clippers last season at Staples Center. The Magic has defeated the Clippers in four consecutive games at Orlando. Quentin Richardson is expected to play today despite suffering from a hyperextended right knee and a cut on his left eyelid.