Clippers Come Apart in the End

They went into overtime here against a team that has lost only once in eight games on its home court, a night after an impressive road victory in the best start the Clippers have known.

Judging by their blank expressions afterward, however, the Clippers found nothing satisfying Wednesday night in a 112-105 overtime loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena.

Blown defensive assignments, missed box-outs and breakdowns on offense in the extra session contributed to the Clippers’ disappointment about a 1-1 trip that began well for them against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

That’s what happens with increased expectations, and the Clippers want a lot.

“We’re never satisfied, because we know we can beat these teams,” said forward Corey Maggette, who scored 25 points and fouled out in overtime.

“If we had gotten a rebound here or a stop there ... it could be 2-0 right now on the road. We just didn’t do it.”

Not that it mattered to the Clippers, but they made another good impression.

“They’re a good team, and they’re becoming a great team,” said Cavalier forward LeBron James, who scored 28 points but missed 13 of 20 field-goal attempts.

“Coach [Mike] Dunleavy has a great system and they have a great group of guys. They are just like us. They are up and coming on the West Coast, and we are up and coming on the East Coast.”

The West wasn’t best Wednesday.

The Clippers (10-5) struggled down the stretch, squandering opportunities to take control in regulation against Cleveland (10-4), including a chance to win the game as time expired.

Maggette powered the offense in the fourth quarter despite foul trouble. He scored 14 points in the quarter, and his 21-foot jumper with 1:37 remaining gave the Clippers a 93-90 lead.

The Clippers again had a three-point cushion when forward James Singleton tipped in Maggette’s miss with 1:01 left, making the score 95-92.

The Cavaliers were struggling against the Clippers’ 2-3 matchup zone, and guard Larry Hughes missed a shot from behind the three-point arc with less than 47 seconds to go. But reserve forward Donyell Marshall swooped in from the left side, grabbed the rebound, scored and was fouled by Singleton.

Marshall completed the three-point play to tie the score, 95-95.

In the zone, point guard Sam Cassell should have boxed out Marshall.

“That was my assignment. I was supposed to go box him out, but he just laid a good screen on me and ... I didn’t get there in time,” said Cassell, who finished with 26 points and 10 assists. “Everybody has a job to do on this ballclub. I just missed my assignment tonight.”

With the score tied again, 97-97, and only 21.5 seconds left in regulation, Dunleavy called timeout to set up a play for forward Elton Brand.

Brand had 33 points and 13 rebounds in his ninth consecutive double-double, but he missed a runner in the lane as time expired.

“Elton was having a great game,” Dunleavy said. “We put the ball in his hands and told him to either create a shot for somebody or get one for himself. He had a good chance. It was a shot that he could make, but it just didn’t go in.”

Said Brand: “We had a shot to win it and I should have gotten us out of here. I’ll take the onus.”

Cassell’s two free throws to open overtime gave the Clippers their final lead at 99-97. Marshall then made consecutive three-pointers, pushing the Cavalier lead to 103-99 at the 3:32 mark as Maggette missed his assignments in the zone.

From there, the Cavaliers sprinted to their first win after consecutive losses.

“We were terrible in overtime,” Maggette said.

“We gave Donyell Marshall those two big threes, and that was the key to the game.”

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Backup center Zeljko Rebraca is expected to be sidelined another five weeks after undergoing a noninvasive procedure to correct an irregular heartbeat, the Clippers announced.

Physician Fred Morady, who specializes in treating arrhythmias, performed the procedure at Ann Arbor, Mich., for the second time in three years on Rebraca, who missed 50 games because of an irregular heartbeat during the 2002-03 season while with the Detroit Pistons.

“Everything went OK, but the doc said to play it really safe,” Dunleavy said. “He should be back right after the first of the year.”

“He’s not supposed to do anything for five days, and then after that he just can’t have any contact,” Dunleavy said.

“He can shoot, run and do whatever else he wants to do. The only thing I cared about was his health. We just wanted to make sure he was OK. And when he comes back in five weeks, things will still be good.”

The 7-foot, 265-pound Rebraca averaged 4.6 points and 2.4 rebounds in 11 games. He said he felt his heart racing late in the Clippers’ 103-100 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Nov. 23 at Staples Center.

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On a roll

*--* DATE OPPONENT PTS REB 11/30 at Cleveland 33 13 11/29 at Minnesota 19 13 11/27 Indiana 22 10 11/25 at Denver 20 11 11/23 Toronto 21 13 11/20 Golden State 32 10 11/18 at Lakers 23 14 11/15 Milwaukee 20 11 11/13 at Philadelphia 32 11

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