Without ailing Cassell, closing push is missing

Sam Cassell was the Clippers’ closer in their run to the Western Conference semifinals last season, making many clutch shots in close victories.

But Cassell has been slowed since the beginning of the season because of numerous injuries, and the Clippers missed his finishing touch again Wednesday night in a 109-105 loss to the Houston Rockets at the Toyota Center.

The Clippers overcame a 17-point deficit and led late in the fourth quarter, but made too many mistakes down the stretch after taking their final lead with 1 minute 1 second remaining in the game.

Cassell was on the inactive list for the first two games of a six-game trip because of an abdominal injury, and has sat out five of the last seven games. In the two games Cassell played, he totaled 21 minutes and two points.

The Clippers say they’re in a make-or-break stretch to earn a postseason berth, and they’ve missed their closer.

“Obviously, it’s tough because Sam was such a big part of our success last year,” Coach Mike Dunleavy said. “Even if we had him in a role where he was coming off the bench, knowing he could give you 25 minutes a night, it would make a big difference.

“To be able to plug him in, because he’s been such a terrific closer, in the right situations, it’s important. As a team you don’t have a whole lot of time, and he needs to be able to produce in game situations.”

Cassell hasn’t practiced much recently, so he’s not in top condition, Dunleavy said.

“I’m hurting,” Cassell said. “I can’t lie about that, I’m really hurting, but the injury isn’t my focus right now. If I pull my abdominal muscle or if I pull my hamstring again, so what? I just want to be out there helping my guys.

“But I understand Mike’s situation. I haven’t been practicing and I can’t get my conditioning in, but I can’t keep going like this. I would rather just play and see if I can do it, but I also know I can’t make shots for this team right now. It’s tough for me and it’s tough for Mike.”

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Elton Brand became the franchise leader in rebounds, breaking Loy Vaught’s mark of 4,471 rebounds. With 10 rebounds against Houston, Brand has 4,478 in his Clippers career.

jason.reid@latimes.com