Clippers Rattle the Cages, but Lakers Get the Win

You know it’s a topsy-turvy NBA season in the Southland when, nearly six weeks into it, the Lakers had defeated only two teams that have winning records, and one was the Clippers.

Through their first 20 seasons in Los Angeles, the Clippers rarely had a winning record when they played the Lakers, or anyone else. They do now.

Some things, though, never seem to change, such as the Lakers’ mastery of the Clippers, which continued Saturday night with an 89-87 victory in front of 19,697 in Staples Center, the Clippers’ first sellout of the season.

Still, the Lakers’ second victory over the Clippers in less than a month wasn’t secured until Corey Maggette’s running bank shot rimmed out, Lamar Odom snatching the rebound at the buzzer and Laker Coach Rudy Tomjanovich exiting the floor jubilantly, arms pumping as he ran to the locker room.

“I don’t know how that shot of Corey’s came out,” Clipper Coach Mike Dunleavy said. “We executed it well. We got a good attack at the rim and that ball was three-quarters of the way down. It just popped out.”

Maggette thought he’d been fouled, and defender Lamar Odom said, “Maybe. At the end of the game like that, the last thing I want to do is foul someone. I thought he got a clean look.”

The Clippers, minus suspended forward Elton Brand, pushed the Lakers to the final buzzer but were outscored, 14-8, over the last eight minutes.

“Obviously, a very big win,” Tomjanovich said. “Cross-rivals, I thought they played great. On the last play, the way the ball rolled around and came out symbolized how close this game was.”

Kobe Bryant had 37 points and 10 rebounds for the Lakers, falling five assists short of his third consecutive triple-double, but missed 19 of 32 shots. Odom had 19 points and 12 rebounds. Chucky Atkins scored 14 points.

Maggette led the Clippers with 27 points but missed 17 of 25 shots. Mikki Moore, in only the third start of his seven-year NBA career, matched a personal best with 18 points and had 14 rebounds, the most of his career. Bobby Simmons, limited to 22 minutes because of foul trouble, scored 15 points, as did Kerry Kittles, who had sat out all but one game before Saturday because of a sore right knee.

Though it’s mostly whispered, or left unsaid altogether, the feeling among the Clippers is that they’re better than the revamped Lakers.

“We didn’t beat them that first game,” Brand said this week of the Lakers’ 103-89 victory on Nov. 17, “but we’re confident. We feel like we’re better than a lot of teams.... We’re not just looking at them.

“A lot of fans say, ‘You’re better than the Lakers,’ but that’s not our objective; it’s to be better than six or seven other teams, so we can get into the playoffs.”

As Saturday dawned, the Clippers led the Lakers by a game in the Pacific Division standings and were eighth in the Western Conference. But they were 0-3 against teams that made the Western Conference playoffs last season.

What’s more, they were without Brand, serving a one-game suspension for shoving rookie Emeka Okafor of the Charlotte Bobcats in Monday night’s game.

“Everybody wants their stars to play,” Tomjanovich said, “and Elton Brand makes them a better team, but in the short term, it can backfire on the opponent where it gives somebody else the opportunity to play.”

With Brand home, Chris Kaman made himself available only three days after undergoing an emergency appendectomy Wednesday.

“It says a lot about Kaman, just the fact that he ... wants to be out there and wants to give us [a hand],” Dunleavy said. “He knows we’re short-handed and he wants to try it. That says a lot about him

“Just the fact that he made the gesture is pretty special.”

Kaman provided an early highlight, stealing the ball from Vlade Divac and driving to the other end, at one point dribbling the ball behind his back, before sending a wrap-around pass to Kittles for a layup that gave the Clippers a 30-23 lead at the end of the first quarter.

A baseline jumper by Kittles to start the second quarter increase the Clipper lead to nine points, but they made only one of their next 10 shots and the Lakers outscored them, 19-5.

Bryant scored the last six points in the run, on a bank shot and four free throws. By halftime, he had 18 points and the Lakers led, 53-49.