Clippers win fifth in a row

Under the microscope because of his slow start, All-Star forward Elton Brand would rather discuss the Clippers’ strong opening act.

Of course, Brand still enjoys having big games, which he did Sunday afternoon in a 92-76 victory over the New Orleans Hornets at Staples Center in front of a crowd of 18,273.

Brand’s 22-point, 10-rebound, four-assist performance helped the Clippers win their fifth in a row.

Brand made consecutive shots late in the fourth quarter to extend the lead to 13 points after the Hornets had pulled to within two earlier in the period. After grabbing an offensive rebound, he assisted on Quinton Ross’ 18-foot jumper that gave the Clippers a 15-point cushion with 2 minutes 23 seconds to play.

The Clippers (5-1) had balanced scoring with six players in double figures, gave up fewer than 90 points for the third time in as many games and accomplished a goal in winning all five games on the homestand.

That was good news for the Clippers, but the bounce in Brand’s step was the best part of their day.

“Like I’ve been telling you guys, Elton Brand is the least of my worries,” point guard Sam Cassell said. “I know when he comes he’s going to come. If we’ve got to tread water until he comes, so be it, but not once did I ever tell you guys I was concerned about him being fatigued from all his activities in the summertime.

“I know him, I know how he feels about his game and how much work he puts in at practice to make his game even better. He was having a slow start in the first four games, but we were 4-1. Now we’re 5-1, so I’ll take that.”

After his busy summer with the U.S. national team, Brand has struggled to regain his form of last season, when he averaged 24.7 points and was selected second-team All-NBA.

The Clippers had not played since Wednesday’s victory over the Dallas Mavericks. The team was off Thursday and Coach Mike Dunleavy instructed Brand to not practice Friday.

The time off appeared to help the seven-year veteran, who scored at least 20 points for the first time since the Clippers’ season-opening loss to the Phoenix Suns. Brand was aggressive on offense and worked hard to fight through double-teams, players said, and the Clippers benefited.

“Just trying to be active if it’s my place to be active,” Brand said. “The double-teams are still coming, but 5-0 at home is what it’s about.”

Helping Brand to regain his form is important too, the Clippers said.

“I want E.B. to be good because he takes a lot of pressure off of me,” center Chris Kaman said. “The better he is the better I can be, but he’s just tired after a long summer. He had a good game today, he played well, and we’re on a roll. That’s the most important thing.”

The Clippers have played well on defense in their five-game winning streak, and the Hornets (4-3) struggled on offense in their third consecutive loss.

They committed 12 of their 23 turnovers in the first quarter and scored only 12 points in the fourth. Point guard Chris Paul led the Hornets with 20 points, but had six turnovers.

“We’re getting better” on defense, Dunleavy said. “A lot of what we do is off of ‘reads,’ so you have to be thinking and talking all the time when you’re out there, particularly the guys in the back of our defense.

“The first couple of games, we weren’t doing a good job on our reads ... we weren’t getting people guarded. They’re going to do certain things to exploit what you do, and you have to do certain things to counter what they do. We’re getting better at that right now.”

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jason.reid@latimes.com

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KEYS TO THE GAME

* Elton Brand’s spark. The team’s franchise player appeared energized after a few days off, and that was bad news for the Hornets.

* Quinton Ross’ knack for making timely plays. Whether he’s playing strong defense, making a clutch jump shot or grabbing a key rebound, Ross often comes through with things tight in the fourth quarter.

* The Hornets being the Hornets. Trailing by only two points with more than 11 minutes to play in the game, the Hornets made a series of bonehead decisions. That and 23 turnovers were too much to overcome.

-- JASON REID