Clippers Fall to the Spurs, 91-82

Signed as a free agent to help fill the scoring void left by the injured Tim Duncan, Glenn Robinson made three of four shots and scored seven points in his debut with the Spurs, helping San Antonio to a 91-82 win over the Clippers on Wednesday night.

“I’m really surprised he’s got his rhythm,” Spur Coach Gregg Popovich said. “But he’s a jump shooter.... You don’t forget how to do that.”

Corey Maggette led the Clippers with 23 points on six-for-16 shooting, with only two of his baskets coming in the second half. Elton Brand scored 13 and Chris Wilcox 10 for the Clippers, who shot 39% from the field and committed 22 turnovers.

“We didn’t make shots, which could be the byproduct of the last game of a long road trip,” said Clipper Coach Mike Dunleavy, whose team has played seven straight road games. “We just didn’t play a very good game.”

Manu Ginobili scored 12 of his 16 points in the second half and Brent Barry had four three-point baskets for the Spurs, who are two games behind the Phoenix Suns for the top spot in the Western Conference. The Spurs and Suns each have eight games left.

The Clippers got within 49-45 on a three-point play by Wilcox midway through the third, but San Antonio made 10 of its last 11 shots, including four three-pointers, in the quarter to extend its lead to 72-57 heading into the fourth.

The Spurs pushed their lead to 22 points early in the fourth before the teams went to their reserves.

Barry finished with 12 points on four-for-five shooting from beyond the arc. Tony Parker had 11 points, and Bruce Bowen and Beno Udrih each had 10. Sean Marks had 10 rebounds in 17 minutes.

Bobby Simmons (left leg bruise) and Chris Kaman (lower back strain) sat out for the Clippers, while the Spurs went without Duncan (right ankle sprain) for the eighth consecutive game.

The Spurs had 10 steals, four by Robert Horry.

“They did the hustle plays that you have to make to win the game,” Clipper rookie guard Shaun Livingston said. “They outworked us, they outshot us, they outrebounded us.”

A pair of free throws by Maggette and a layup by Rick Brunson late in the first gave the Clippers a 16-13 lead, but the Spurs followed with a 23-9 run, capped by Barry’s second three-pointer.

Maggette scored 15 of the Clippers’ 33 first-half points. The Clippers had only 10 baskets and 15 turnovers in the first two quarters. Brand missed all seven of his shots in the half, which ended with San Antonio ahead by nine.

Clipper point guard Marko Jaric left the game in the third because of a sore right foot.