Clippers Discover the Rout to Indiana

The Clippers hadn’t won in Indianapolis in nearly 13 years. They had never won in Conseco Fieldhouse.

And the Indiana Pacers were unbeaten in four games.

So, it was hardly a surprise when the outcome of Wednesday night’s game was pretty much decided in the second quarter and that the crowd of 14,657, bored by it all, had emptied the arena long before the finish.

What was surprising was that the Clippers were up by 28 points at halftime on the way to a lopsided road victory, a 102-68 rout that matched a Clipper record for margin of victory, home or away.

Two days after pushing the NBA champion Detroit Pistons to two overtimes in a bitter Monday loss, the Clippers crushed an Eastern Conference finalist.

Or what remained of it.

The Pacers had three starters out, among them Ron Artest, who said he was benched for the second game in a row after asking Coach Rick Carlisle for time off to rest because he was fatigued, in part, from promoting his upcoming rap album.

Also sidelined for the Pacers were three reserves, all of them injured and none of them, presumably, with any connection to the music business.

But the Clippers also were short-handed with projected starters Chris Kaman and Kerry Kittles on the injured list, and they hardly missed a beat.

Since moving from Buffalo, N.Y., in 1978, they had never won more lopsidedly. They hadn’t won at Indianapolis since Jan. 8, 1992, a win that preceded 11 straight Indy indignities.

The Pacers had never lost by a wider margin at home.

Nor had either team experienced anything like the second quarter, when the Clippers outscored the Pacers, 31-7, and stunned the booing crowd.

Never had the Clippers given up fewer points in a quarter, the Pacers’ establishing a franchise record for futility by making only two of 16 shots, missing all six of their three-point attempts and even clanging seven of 10 free throws.

The halftime score was 55-27.

“Even though they were short-handed ... at the end of the year they don’t usually go back and ask you about it,” Clipper Coach Mike Dunleavy said. “So we took advantage of the opportunity.”

Asked when he’d last seen anything like that second quarter, in which the Clippers made 10 of 18 shots, all nine of their free throws and outrebounded the Pacers, 14-7, Dunleavy said, “It wasn’t with the Clippers.”

Backup center Mikki Moore, apparently holding a grudge against his former coach, Carlisle, made all four of his shots, took four rebounds and scored 10 points in the quarter on his way to matching a career high of 16 points on six-of-six shooting.

He accentuated several baskets by glaring over at Carlisle, his coach three years ago during the last of Moore’s four seasons with the Pistons.

“When I was told [by Carlisle] that I didn’t deserve the minutes I was getting, that’s what ticked me off,” he said. “Every time I step on the court now, I have to prove myself. Not just to Rick Carlisle. He’s a good coach. I have no hard feelings toward Rick Carlisle, but I feel I do deserve a place in this league.”

Bobby Simmons, continuing to show he is deserving of a place in the Clipper starting lineup, missed only two of nine shots and scored 18 points, with six assists. Elton Brand led the Clippers with 19 points and 16 rebounds, his first double-double of the season, and Corey Maggette had 13 points and seven assists.

Moore said the victory made a statement “to our fans and other nonbelievers. I’m not saying that we’re unstoppable because they came out short-handed tonight, but we come out and play hard every night.

“I think everybody on this team has a lot to prove and we’ve got some veterans on this team that know this team can make it to the playoffs.”