Maggette Plans to Be in Opener

A slightly strained left hamstring apparently wouldn’t be enough to prevent forward Corey Maggette from playing in the season opener Wednesday against the Seattle SuperSonics, or so Maggette hoped.

Maggette said Thursday his hamstring had improved daily and “it’s probably about 75% now, so I know I’m going to be out there” for the first game.

With backup point guard Shaun Livingston sidelined indefinitely because of a back injury, having Maggette available at close to full strength could provide an early boost.

“Obviously, we hope Corey can go, but we just don’t know yet,” Coach Mike Dunleavy said. “We have some other guys who have played well, so we’ll just have to look at some different matchups and be prepared.”

The Clippers’ leading scorer last season, Maggette sat out the final exhibition Thursday -- a 94-92 victory over the SuperSonics at Staples Center.

He played in only four of eight exhibition games because of the injury sustained last Friday in practice at the Spectrum health club in El Segundo.

Maggette, who recently resumed limited activity, said he planned to increase his efforts in workouts today.

“The last few days, I’ve been able to shoot and move a little bit,” he said. “I can cut a little bit, but it’s hard.

“The next few days, I’ll be doing that,” adding that he hopes to be practicing by Tuesday for the opener.

If Maggette misses the opener, he says others could fill the void.

“I don’t feel like I have to get back, but I want to be out there,” Maggette said. “With the caliber of players we have, we can do some stuff even if I’m not in the lineup, and I don’t think I’ll be playing significant minutes that first game.

“[Forward] James Singleton and [guard] Quinton Ross have been doing a great job in terms of chemistry and growth, so some of the pressure will be on them. But the healing process has been going great, the treatment process has been going great, and I’ve still got six days.”

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Livingston, sidelined 52 games last season because of knee and shoulder injuries, braced for another frustrating experience.

“Obviously, I expected to play ASAP, but that’s not the case right now,” he said. “I’m resting and hoping that it gets better, and I just have to wait it out and see how it goes. I can talk about it until I’m blue in the face, but nothing that I can say can make it turn around.

“I just have to go with the flow and hopefully get back and make a difference. It’s just the way things worked out. Everything happens for a reason, I’m a firm believer in that, and hopefully good things will happen after this.”

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Forward Elton Brand scored 14 points to lead five players in double figures Thursday night in the victory against Seattle, which completed the best exhibition season in Clipper history.

Center Chris Kaman had 13 points and forward/center Boniface Ndong, competing for the final roster spot, contributed 12 points off the bench as the Clippers finished 6-2 in exhibition. The franchise, renamed after it left Buffalo in 1978, finished 5-2 in the 1998 and 2000 exhibition seasons.

Forward Rodney White, also hoping to make the team, started and scored seven points. Forward Rashard Lewis led the SuperSonics (2-5) with 25 points.

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As part of the NBA’s “Paint the Town” campaign, players will hand out free tickets today at three Los Angeles locations. Contact the Clippers for more information: (213) 742-7500.