Talk Stays Positive Despite the Injuries

The Clippers, who gathered in the desert Monday to prepare for the NBA’s stretch run, haven’t given up hope of making a playoff push.

But after losing their last seven games before the All-Star break, dropping to 23-30 and falling 4 1/2 games behind the eighth-place Lakers, they’ll have to match the best finish in franchise history simply to finish with a .500 record.

Thirteen years ago, they rode an 18-11 finish to the playoffs.

To duplicate that record over their last 29 games, starting Wednesday night against the first-place Phoenix Suns, they’ll have to win at least four road games, which would double the number they’ve won since November. And if they were to win only four of 15 on the road, they’d have to win all 14 of their home games.

Still, they’re hopeful.

“We’re not out of it until we’re mathematically out of it,” Elton Brand said before the break. “We still have a shot.”

But it’s a long shot, especially since they’re expected to be without injured regulars Marko Jaric, Kerry Kittles and Shaun Livingston well into next month.

Livingston, who suffered torn cartilage in his right shoulder during a Feb. 15 loss to the Orlando Magic, was put on the injured list Monday to clear a roster spot for 6-foot-2 guard Maurice Baker, who was signed to a 10-day contract.

Baker, who played at Oklahoma State, averaged 16.9 points, 6.7 assists and 5.4 rebounds in 30 games for the Dakota Wizards of the Continental Basketball Assn. He is expected to practice with the Clippers for the first time today.

He joins a team that hasn’t won since Feb. 3 at Memphis.

“It’s putting a toll on us, man,” Mikki Moore said of the losing streak. “I can’t sit here and lie. None of us like losing, but it hasn’t got to the point where it’s breaking the team up. We’re still a family. We win together, we lose together.

“We’ve just got to take the good things out of the things that we do every night and just work on our mistakes. It’s a growing team. People might say we’re chalking up the season; we’re not. We’re only [4 1/2 ] games out of a playoff position. It’s a growing experience for us. We’ve got a lot of young guys.”