Spurs Stand in Way of Break-Even Mark

Only three times since they moved from San Diego before the 1984-85 season, once in the last 11 years, have the Clippers made it to Christmas with a break-even record. Once, they were 19 games under .500.

But with a victory over the defending NBA champion Spurs tonight at San Antonio, the Clippers would take a 12-12 record into a two-day holiday break.

“Unfortunately, in my own mind, I had us projected ahead of that,” said Coach Mike Dunleavy, whose optimism put him in a small minority. “Based on the schedule we had early on, I thought it would be better for us.”

Of course, that was before Elton Brand suffered a broken right foot in the opener and was sidelined for 13 games, during which the Clippers were 6-7.

“If he had been with us, I think our record would have been better,” Dunleavy said. “But I don’t know that we’d be a better team, because the other guys wouldn’t have developed and progressed as much as they have. That’s the thing that’s been pleasing to me -- to see the improvement of some of our young guys.

“I’m happy where we are, not having anything to do with the record but the way we’re playing. We’re starting to understand things, starting to do things. We’re not anywhere near as consistent as I want to be. We do some good things, and then we fall back into bad habits. But the level starts raising.”

One of the early-season highlights for the Clippers was a Dec. 1 victory over the Spurs, who were without the suspended Tim Duncan that night. San Antonio lost again two nights later to the Lakers and haven’t lost since, winning 10 in a row.

“It was huge,” Dunleavy said of a victory that stopped a six-game Clipper losing streak. “Every big win, every perceived big win, gives you a little bit more confidence. This win at Dallas [on Saturday night] should be a great win for us too, just because they’re such a quality team.”

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Melvin Ely, suffering flu-like symptoms, sat out Monday’s practice at a Dallas health club, never leaving the locker room. The Clippers might put the forward on the injured list today, activating Olden Polynice.... Corey Maggette spent most of the practice working on drills to strengthen his tender right ankle.