The Q Rating Is on the Rise

Coming soon to a theater near you: Q!

Quentin Richardson, who has raised his national profile during a breakout season with the Clippers, has made a movie.

“I’m real excited about it,” he said Thursday at the MCI Center, where the Clippers will play the Washington Wizards tonight. “It was like a 2 1/2-year thing, so to finally see it come full circle, that’s pretty cool.”

Richardson co-stars with former Clipper and current Trail Blazer Darius Miles in “The Youngest Guns,” a documentary feature film chronicling their first three NBA seasons, the first two as Clipper teammates. Minus the stars, who had made other plans, the film will have its L.A. premiere screening Feb. 14 at Cinespace in Hollywood.

“It’s about kids trying to make it in the big leagues,” filmmaker Ben Mittleman said from Los Angeles, “but ultimately it’s about their friendship.”

Mittleman, who produced and directed the film with partner Ruben Preuss, describes it as an “MTV-style” documentary, complete with hip-hop soundtrack. Mittleman and Preuss shot about 200 hours of film, Mittleman said, culling the footage into a 70-minute feature about a pair of 2000 first-round NBA draft picks who grew up in rough neighborhoods in Chicago and East St. Louis, Ill., and have been best friends since before they reached high school.

“The way they described it to us,” Mittleman said, “it was as if two kids from humble beginnings hit the lottery at the same time.”

The filmmakers already have struck a straight-to-video deal, Mittleman said, and have drawn interest from cable television networks.

His older co-star gave the film a thumbs up.

“I haven’t seen the latest draft, but I’ve seen pretty much most of it,” said Richardson, averaging 18 points after scoring 36 and making a club-record eight three-point baskets in Wednesday night’s 95-86 victory over the Boston Celtics. “It’s pretty good, you know what I’m saying?”

Richardson, however, has no designs on Hollywood.

“I’m a basketball player first,” said Richardson, who will be a restricted free agent this summer. “I would never say I wouldn’t do anything, but I’m not, like, looking for anything. I saw [Miles’] movie [a fictional feature, “mxmx”]. It was pretty cool. It was funny; I was cracking up. The level of difficulty wasn’t that bad, so I felt like he did pretty good.”

TONIGHT

at Washington, 4 PST, Fox Sports Net 2

Site -- MCI Center.

Radio -- XTRA (690/1150).

Records -- Clippers 22-25, Wizards 14-33.

Record vs. Wizards (2002-03) -- 0-2.

Update -- Corey Maggette is again doubtful because of a sprained right ankle, but the Clippers’ No. 2 scorer indicated he would be ready for Sunday’s game at New York. Halfway through an eight-game trip, the Clippers are 3-1.