Clippers Dust Starless Magic

Over 48 hours in Florida, the Clippers never saw the sun.

They never saw Tracy McGrady either.

The NBA’s second-leading scorer was said to be an hour away in Auburndale, Fla., mourning an aunt, when the Clippers defeated the Orlando Magic, 115-106, on Saturday night in front of 14,402 in the TD Waterhouse Centre.

The victory earned them a split in rainy Florida to start an eight-game trip. The Clippers would have preferred a sweep of two sub-.500 teams, of course, but after Friday night’s 97-88 loss at Miami a split was the best they could get.

McGrady’s absence helped them get it. Even with McGrady, who averages 27 points, the Magic lost a club-record 19 consecutive games early in the season, a streak that included a Nov. 15 loss to the Elton Brand-less Clippers at Staples Center. The Magic is last in the Atlantic Division with a 13-36 record.

Without McGrady, the Magic was game but ultimately overmatched.

The Clippers scored 10 consecutive points late in the first quarter to open a 28-19 lead and never trailed again, pulling away in the fourth.

“T-Mac in or T-Mac out, we felt like it was a must-win game,” point guard Marko Jaric said. “We missed one at Miami, gave away that game.

“All year we’ve [pointed] to this road trip, and this road trip depended on this game, so it was a must-win for us, and we did good. We now go with positive energy to play Atlanta and other teams I think we should beat, if we play the right way.”

Jaric, matching a season high with 23 points and adding six assists, five rebounds and four steals, played the right way in helping the Clippers to their third victory in 16 road games since Nov. 14, their second in nine since Dec. 20.

They swept the season series from the Magic for the first time since the 1991-92 season.

“Marko played huge for us,” said Quentin Richardson, who scored 21 points and made seven of 13 shots, six of 10 from beyond the three-point arc. He left the game briefly in the first quarter because of a charley horse.

Overall, the Clippers made 53.3% of their shots, 10 of 17 from beyond the arc. They made 61.2% in the first half, six of nine from long range.

Brand had 21 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Corey Maggette scored 16 points. Reserve swingman Matt Barnes had seven points, six rebounds and six assists. And reserve Predrag Drobnjak, seemingly out of nowhere, scored 13 points on five-of-eight shooting, all in the fourth quarter.

Drobnjak, who opened the season as a starter, had fallen out of the rotation in mid-December, but Coach Mike Dunleavy turned to him Saturday after getting mixed results from big men Chris Kaman, Chris Wilcox and Melvin Ely.

“I gave some other guys a chance and they weren’t doing what we needed them to do,” Dunleavy said. “That’s kind of the way we do it, just rotate guys through. If you get your opportunity and produce, you move up the ladder.”

Drobnjak’s outside shooting foiled the Magic’s comeback bid, such as it was. Loser of four of five, the Magic never got closer than six points.

“I just want to get in, make some shots,” he said. “I think I play good. This is only one game. We’ll see the rest of the season. ...

“I make first two shots. Of course, you have confidence to make more.”

Said Jaric, his Serb countryman: “He was unbelievable.”

Not so unbelievable was the ease with which the Clippers held down the McGrady-less Magic, which got 20 points from McGrady’s replacement, Gordan Giricek, who made nine of 20 shots, and 19 from forward Juwan Howard.

“It’s too bad for them and fortunate for us, in a sense,” Dunleavy said of McGrady’s absence. “I’m sure he would have made it a better game. I’m not sure they would have won, but they would have been better with him, surely.”

Coach Johnny Davis said McGrady would return for the Magic’s next game, Tuesday night at Minnesota.

The Clippers won’t have to worry about him until next season.