Odom Puts Winning Over Prolific Scoring

Lamar Odom scored a season-best 30 points in the Clippers’ loss Monday to the Houston Rockets.

But he wasn’t happy about it.

“I would rather go one for 30 or one for 40 and win the game,” Odom said when asked about his 13-for-18 shooting in the 108-90 defeat. “We keep saying this, but it’s another [loss] we’ve got to put behind us.”

After an 11-month layoff because of ankle and wrist injuries, Odom has been perhaps the steadiest player on the roster. He has avoided significant injuries, sitting out only three games because of tweaks to his right ankle since returning to the court Dec. 28. And he’s averaging 15.2 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists.

“He was really carrying us,” Corey Maggette said of Monday’s game, “and it just shows that he’s starting to put it back together. That’s a big plus for us.”

*

TONIGHT

vs. Dallas, 7:30, Fox Sports Net 2

Site -- Staples Center.

Radio -- XTRA (1150).

Records -- Clippers 22-48, Mavericks 53-17.

Record vs. Mavericks -- 0-3.

Update -- The Clippers gave up 108 points Monday against the Rockets, which doesn’t bode well for tonight’s game against the Mavericks, who have averaged 110 points in the last seven games between the teams. The Western Conference-leading Mavericks also are closing in on the best record in franchise history, a 57-25 mark set last season. The Clippers, 13th out of 14 conference teams, have lost 14 of their last 17 games. They are 3-9 since Dennis Johnson replaced Alvin Gentry as coach on March 3.