Shifting Starters Seen as Key Disadvantage

One constant of the top teams in the Western Conference has been consistency in the starting lineups.

The Seattle SuperSonics have had the same starting five for all 28 of their games. The San Antonio Spurs have had four players start every game and a fifth, Manu Ginobili, has started all but one. Same with the Phoenix Suns.

Because of injuries, meanwhile, the Clippers have used seven starting lineups. Only Bobby Simmons, projected to be the sixth man before the season opened with Kerry Kittles on the injured list, has started all 28 games.

“Guys are thrown into situations where they might not be at the same talent level as the guys they normally would be going against,” Coach Mike Dunleavy said. “If you’re a bench player, you’re going against second-line players. It allows you to play to your abilities.

“And now when you’re thrown into a situation where guys are that much quicker or bigger or whatever ... it puts all kind of different pressures on you. It forces you to take more chances at times, and a lot of times you can get burned.”

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Marko Jaric and Shaun Livingston probably will be sidelined through this month, but Dunleavy indicated that the Clippers are in no rush to find reinforcements.

In five games as a starter, well-traveled veteran Rick Brunson has averaged 10.8 points, 6.8 assists and 3.0 rebounds over 34.8 minutes. He has made 43.6% of his shots, 53.3% from beyond the three-point arc.

“I don’t think Rick Brunson’s been our problem,” Dunleavy said.

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The Clippers, who were 11-7 with Chris Wilcox starting at center, are 2-8 since he was benched, including one game (a loss) when he started at forward.... Kittles, eligible to be activated from the injured list after sitting out five games because of sciatica caused by a bulging disk in his back, told Dunleavy he was “starting to feel better” after a second epidural, “so we’ll see how it develops,” the coach said. Asked when Kittles might be able to play again, Dunleavy said, “I have no idea.”

TODAY

vs. Philadelphia, 12:30 p.m., Channel 5

Site -- Staples Center.

Radio -- KLAC (570).

Records -- Clippers 13-15, 76ers 13-15.

Record vs. 76ers (2003-04) -- 1-1.

Update -- The 76ers play the fourth game of a seven-game trip after winning at Portland and Seattle and losing Friday at Denver. Allen Iverson, the NBA’s leading scorer with an average of 28.9 points, has averaged nearly 40 over the last six games, among them consecutive games of 54 and 51 points.

Tickets -- (800) 462-2849.