Richardson Says He’ll Play

Before exiting early from practice to keep an appointment with a physical therapist, Quentin Richardson said Wednesday that there was little doubt he would play tonight against the New Jersey Nets.

“Not in my mind,” said the Clipper guard, who played only nine minutes Monday against the Houston Rockets before suffering a sprained left ankle.

Tonight’s game, which will be shown on TNT, is one of two scheduled nationally televised appearances for the Clippers, the last until Feb. 18.

“If it’s still sore, I’m still going to play,” said Richardson, who sat out most of the last two days of practice. “By the time adrenaline kicks in, I’ll forget about it.”

Richardson, who scored a career-high 36 points Saturday at Minnesota and is averaging 19.9 points despite scoring only one in nine minutes Monday, said he was injured when he stepped on Cuttino Mobley’s foot, rolling his ankle.

“I feel like if the game was tonight,” Richardson said Wednesday, “I would force myself to play. As long as I stay warm, it will be fine.”

Coach Mike Dunleavy said Richardson’s availability would be a game-time decision, depending on input from trainer Jasen Powell.

Point guard Marko Jaric will play tonight, Dunleavy said. He has sat out the last three games after suffering a partial tear of tissue in his left foot Nov. 18 at Cleveland, where he made his first start of the season.

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A visit to his doctor yielded positive results for Elton Brand, who expects to be cleared for full contact Tuesday after another X-ray on his broken right foot and could be back in the lineup as early as Dec. 9 against the Sacramento Kings.

“If somebody is cleared for contact, usually within a week he’ll play,” Dunleavy said. “Maybe it’s two weeks before they’re getting the minutes they’ll [usually] get. It just depends on who the person is and how well he performs.”

Brand has been sidelined since the season opener Oct. 30. The original prognosis was that he would be sidelined four to six weeks.

TONIGHT

vs. New Jersey, 7 TNT

Site -- Staples Center.

Radio -- KXTA (690, 1150).

Records -- Clippers 4-6, Nets 6-7.

Record vs. Nets (2002-03) -- 1-1.

Update -- Kenyon Martin is averaging 19.5 points and 9.9 rebounds and Jason Kidd 16.5 points and 9.7 assists for the Nets, who opened a five-game trip Tuesday night with a 93-70 victory over the Seattle SuperSonics, outscoring the SuperSonics, 57-25, in the second half. Kidd, who sat out Saturday’s loss to the Toronto Raptors because of a sore left knee, had 13 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists for his third triple-double of the season and Martin had a season-high 27 points and 14 rebounds.

Tickets -- (800) 462-2849.