Maggette has been on target

It’s the outside paving the way for the inside. Or the inside game helping the outside shot.

All chicken-and-egg analogies aside, Corey Maggette has been efficient in nearly all scoring aspects of late.

Since missing four games with flu, Maggette has scored 20 or more points in seven of eight games, including topping 30 points three times.

The points have come inside the lane, as usual, but also with a jump shot that has been on the mark. He has hit half of his 24 three-point shots this month, including all five of his attempts in a game against the Toronto Raptors.

“Shots are going down, man,” Maggette said. “You put in a lot of work, working on your shot in the off-season that you know you can hit and now it’s just really transcending into the game.

“I don’t really think you can control anybody once they’ve got a good flow of shots going. It’s tough when guys are making shots from every angle. The best person you see is Kobe [Bryant]. When he’s going, he’s pretty much the hardest player ever to stop.”

Before Friday’s game, Maggette was 14th in the league in scoring, pushing his average up to 21.8 points.

“It’s been an efficient effort he’s putting up, as far as mix of free throws and buckets and percentages,” Coach Mike Dunleavy said.

Sam Cassell sat out the game Friday because of a bruised right wrist after banging it against a camera Wednesday. He is questionable tonight against the Lakers.

When asked whether he had talked with agent David Falk about not being traded by the deadline, Cassell said yes, but referred further questions to Falk. Falk, at Friday’s game, did not address the situation.

The injured Elton Brand and Shaun Livingston donned their jerseys before the game -- for a photo shoot. . . . About 300 tickets remain for Monday’s game against Boston.

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TONIGHT

vs. Lakers, 7:30, Ch. 5, Ch. 9

Site -- Staples Center.

Radio -- 710, 570.

Records -- Clippers 19-33, Lakers 37-17.

Record vs. Lakers -- 0-1.

Update -- The Lakers beat the Clippers, 113-92, in the teams’ matchup on Dec. 16. Kobe Bryant scored a game-high 32 points and Sasha Vujacic scored 14 points, all in the fourth quarter. Corey Maggette scored 21 points in the third quarter for the Clippers and finished with 27 points. Sam Cassell sat out the game, dealing with a strained left calf.

--jonathan.abrams@latimes.com