Clippers Post a Hard-Fought Win

Elton Brand scored 26 points and matched his career high with 23 rebounds, and a third-quarter fight sparked a Golden State comeback that fell short in the Clippers’ 122-113 victory over the Warriors on Monday night at Oakland.

Golden State’s Troy Murphy fought Sean Rooks of the Clippers midway through the third quarter, leading to ejections for both players and giving a palpable edge to the rest of a meaningless game between two teams out of the playoff chase.

Golden State made an 18-5 run after the fight to pull closer, but Brand and Eric Piatkowski never let up. Piatkowski made five three-point baskets, finishing with 27 points on nine-of-14 shooting.

The Warriors made an 11-4 run in the final five minutes, pulling within 115-113 on Jason Richardson’s three-point basket with 2:05 left -- but Lamar Odom made a three-point basket, and Golden State couldn’t score again.

Richardson scored 29 points and Antawn Jamison had 26 for the Warriors, who lost their third in a row -- and their chance for their first 40-win season since 1994.

The Clippers gradually built a 16-point lead in the second quarter. Brand was unstoppable, getting 17 points and 13 rebounds, nine on the offensive end, in the first half.

The Clippers led, 81-65, in the third quarter when Murphy and Rooks got tangled while positioning for a rebound. After they bumped chests and exchanged words, Rooks hooked his left arm around Murphy’s neck and tried to throw him to the floor.

Murphy wriggled out of Rooks’ grasp, and both Murphy and Richardson knocked Rooks down. Players and coaches from both teams intervened, and Murphy and Rooks screamed profanities and insults at each other from across the court for two minutes. Miller and Richardson briefly appeared ready to fight during the fracas.