Be It Ever So Humble, Clipper Win Feels OK

The Clippers were back amid familiar surroundings Friday night, the floor painted in their colors, home white uniforms hanging in their lockers, Brandy seated along the baseline.

The result was familiar too.

They defeated the Philadelphia 76ers, 101-98, in front of 17,743 in Staples Center, weathering their own sloppy ballhandling and poor free-throw shooting down the stretch to stretch their home winning streak to five games.

They’ve won seven of eight in Staples Center, where their largest home crowd of the season watched them hold off a 76er team playing without Allen Iverson.

Iverson, sidelined because of a knee injury, didn’t make the trip west with his teammates, and Glenn Robinson, the 76ers’ No. 2 scorer, suffered a cut under his left eye late in the third quarter and didn’t make a shot after that.

Still, the 76ers had a chance to take the lead in the last minute after the Clippers missed five of their last 10 free throws.

But Aaron McKie misfired on a three-point shot from the left wing.

They had a chance to send the game into overtime in the final seconds, but Eric Snow missed a three-pointer, also from the left wing.

“We dodged a bullet, in a sense, but overall I liked our effort,” Clipper Coach Mike Dunleavy said. “Maybe in the past [the Clippers] might have lost that game, but we won. And that’s what we’re here for. We’re gaining momentum.”

All five Clipper starters scored in double figures, led by Quentin Richardson, who made five of seven three-point shots en route to 22 points. Elton Brand had 20 points and nine rebounds. Corey Maggette scored 18 points. Chris Wilcox scored 14 points, nine in the fourth quarter.

Robinson led the 76ers with 21 points, but he missed all four of his shots in the fourth quarter after Maggette inadvertently cut him while fouling him.

The 76ers, who have lost five of seven, were playing their eighth game without Iverson, who hasn’t played since Dec. 5. The NBA scoring leader, averaging 28.9 points, is expected to rejoin the team sometime next week.

For the Clippers, the timing couldn’t have been better.

“We should win,” Maggette said before the game. “Without Allen Iverson, that’s a negative 30 points for them, so this is an opportunity for us to jump on them.”

Dunleavy, slightly less assured, would hear none of it.

“It doesn’t matter who the opponent is, who they bring in to play,” he said. “Allen Iverson, no Iverson, who they have, who they don’t have, it doesn’t matter. Everybody knows that any team in this league can beat any other on a given night.

“When you defend consistently, that’s when teams can start writing games in that they’re supposed to win.... But that’s not the case [with the Clippers].”

Friday’s game opened a four-week stretch in which the Clippers will play 13 of 16 games in Staples Center, one a Laker home game.

“Win as many as we can,” Richardson said of the club’s immediate goals. “When you’ve got a little home stretch, you want to make the most of it.”

Richardson made the most of an early alley-oop pass from Brand, reaching back over his shoulder with his left hand to redirect the ball into the basket, highlighting a 9-0 run that gave the Clippers an 11-4 lead.

By halftime, the 76ers had cut their deficit to 58-54. They tied it early in the third quarter, but they could never retake the lead.

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Andy Roeser, Clipper executive vice president, was due to be released today from Good Samaritan Hospital after surgery to repair a broken hip suffered in a skiing accident last weekend....Clipper forward Melvin Ely, recovering from flu, ran for the first time in more than a week. Ely, who won’t be eligible to be activated from the injured list until Jan. 3, said he has lost 15 pounds.