Los Angeles Clippers Blog – Page 97 – NBA Blog

Baron Davis no fan of Elton Brand

Last summer, Elton Brand and Baron Davis talked about playing together on the Clippers. So Davis signed on as a free agent. Brand, however, didn’t re-sign with the team, and jumped ship to the Philadelphia 76ers. Davis still isn’t happy about it. The Los Angeles Times (Lisa Dillman) reports on the two players as their two teams are set to play against each other:

So will they hug, exchange pleasantries or even lock eyes before tonight’s game? “I’ve got nothing to say to him,” Davis said on Wednesday. This was in the visitors’ dressing room at Oklahoma City, not long after the Clippers beat the Thunder by 20 points. The mention of Brand quickly wiped away Davis’ smile, especially because he just had been talking about Oklahoma City’s Earl Watson, saying he regards Watson like “a brother.” Davis hasn’t spoken to Brand, and said he doesn’t plan to do so, because the former Clipper recruited Davis to come join him in Los Angeles and then Brand did a quick cut and run, heading East for a bigger bag of money, a five-year deal worth almost $80 million… Clippers Coach Mike Dunleavy has rehashed the turn of events last summer — and is still wanting for answers. “Elton had a great five years here. I loved him,” he said. “There’s a disappointment because you just don’t understand. He and I text messaged and called and never went, either one of us, usually 10 to 15 minutes without calling or returning a text. And then next thing I know it went silent.”

So far, the 76ers are a modest 5-6, the Clippers an awful 2-9. Brand is averaging just 15.8 points on just 43.8% shooting, with 10.5 rebounds, 1.55 blocks and more turnovers than assists. Davis is putting up just 15.5 points (by coincidence, almost the same as Brand) on lousy 36.1% shooting and only 24.6% three-pointers, plus 3.3 rebounds, 8.0 assists and 1.8 steals. Both players will probably raise their shooting percentages in the coming weeks as they and their new teams adjust to each other.

Nov 19: Clippers 108, Thunder 88

The AP reports: Cuttino Mobley had a season-high 23 points and a career-best seven steals. Kaman scored a season-high 25 points and had 14 rebounds. Al Thornton scored 20, and Baron Davis and Marcus Camby 14 each. Mobley scored six points during a 14-2 run that saw the Clippers (2-9) cut a 15-point second-quarter deficit to three at halftime. He stayed hot in the third quarter, with 12 points coming during a 23-4 spurt that put Los Angeles in front by 15. The Clippers weren’t threatened after that… Kevin Durant had 18 points for the Thunder and Damien Wilkins added 17.

Nov 17: Spurs 86, Clippers 83

The AP reports: Roger Mason’s 3-pointer with 8.4 seconds remaining lifted the San Antonio Spurs to an 86-83 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday night for their third straight victory. Mason, who led the Spurs with 21 points, got away from Ricky Davis near the top of the key and had no trouble nailing his third 3-pointer of the game after the Clippers had rallied from an 11-point deficit in the final 6 1/2 minutes.

InsideHoops.com Notes: For the Spurs, Tim Duncan had 20 points, 15 rebounds, 6 assists and 6 blocks. Mason shot 9-of-16 for his 21 points, and no assists. Mike Finley scored 19. George Hill shot 0-of-5 but dished 8 assists. For the Clippers, Cuttino Mobley had 18 points on 18 shots. Chris Kaman shot 8-of-13 for 17 points, 13 rebounds and 3 blocks. Baron Davis shot just 5-of-17 for 11 points and 8 assists. Tim Thomas unleashed a 1-of-7 brickfest off the bench.

Nov 15: Warriors 121, Clippers 103

The AP reports: In the first meeting between Baron Davis and Corey Maggette since they switched teams as free agents this summer, an undrafted rookie named Anthony Morrow stole the show. Morrow had 37 points and 11 rebounds in his first NBA start, leading the Golden State Warriors to a 121-103 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday. His point total was the highest by a rookie this season, topping O.J. Mayo’s 33, and was the highest ever by an undrafted player in his rookie campaign… Andris Biedrins had 17 points and 16 rebounds for the Warriors, who blew a 14-point lead before pulling away early in the fourth quarter. Biedrins recorded his 16th consecutive double-double, the team’s longest streak since Nate Thurmond’s 18 straight in 1971-72. Stephen Jackson had 20 points and 10 assists. Davis finished with 25 points and 11 assists for the Clippers, who also got nice efforts from Chris Kaman and reserve Marcus Camby. Kaman had 15 points and 13 rebounds, and Camby got 12 points and 11 boards. Cuttino Mobley finished with 19 points.

Nov 12: Kings 103, Clippers 98

The AP reports: With Kevin Martin sidelined, Beno Udrih knew he had to look to score more than usual… Udrih had a career-high 30 points, five rebounds and seven assists, and the short-handed Sacramento Kings never trailed in beating the Los Angeles Clippers 103-98 on Wednesday night for their first road victory of the season… Sacramento played its second game without Martin, who is out at least a week after spraining his left ankle in a victory over Golden State on Sunday… Brad Miller added 16 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists, Thompson had 16 points and 11 rebounds, and John Salmons scored 13 points for the Kings (4-5), who started the season with four straight road losses by an average of 20 points. They followed that with three wins in four home games before beating the Clippers… Al Thornton led the Clippers (1-7) with 20 points. Ricky Davis scored 12 of his 16 in the fourth quarter, Marcus Camby added 13 points and Baron Davis had 12 points and 11 assists, but shot 4-of-15.

Nov 9: Clippers 103, Mavs 92

The AP reports: For the second straight season, Baron Davis’ team lost its first six games before getting that elusive first victory. Last season, Davis was with the Golden State Warriors. Now he’s with the Los Angeles Clippers, whom the Warriors beat a year ago to end their drought. “It’s pretty much the same feeling—a feeling of frustration,” Davis said Sunday, after getting 22 points and 10 assists in the Clippers’ 103-92 victory over the Dallas Mavericks… Foul-plagued Al Thornton got eight of his 17 points in the final 6 minutes for the Clippers, who had lost six straight against Dallas. Marcus Camby had 14 rebounds and 10 points. Tim Thomas sat out because of a sprained left ankle. Dirk Nowitzki, who missed the final two meetings with the Clippers last season because of ankle and knee injuries, led the Mavericks with 33 points and seven rebounds while Jason Kidd added nine assists and seven points. Gerald Green started at small forward and had 13 points and 12 rebounds in place of Josh Howard, who was sidelined because of a sore left wrist.

Nov 7: Rockets 92, Clippers 83

The AP reports: In a game where Tracy McGrady was merely a footnote and Ron Artest had a lackluster first half, the Houston Rockets nearly blew an early 15-point lead before reserve Carl Landry came to the rescue. Artest finished with 23 points, Landry added six of his 20 points in the final 3 1/2 minutes, and the Rockets sent the Los Angeles Clippers to their sixth straight loss with a 92-83 victory Friday night… Yao Ming had 16 points and nine rebounds. McGrady, a two-time NBA scoring champ and seven-time All-Star, missed all five shots and finished with two points in 26 minutes after averaging 22 points in the Rockets’ first five games… Chris Kaman had 23 points and 11 rebounds for Los Angeles. Baron Davis also scored 23 points and Marcus Camby had 13 rebounds.

Nov 5: Lakers 106, Clippers 88

The AP reports: Kobe Bryant scored 27 points, and the Lakers used a late 22-0 run to beat the Clippers 106-88 Wednesday night, giving them six straight wins over their crosstown rivals… The Lakers shot 7-of-16 in the fourth quarter, but went 17-of-22 from the foul line in outscoring the Clippers 34-20. The Clippers were 8-of-23 in the final 12 minutes and shot 38.9 percent overall… Lamar Odom had 15 points and nine rebounds for the Lakers (4-0); Derek Fisher scored 13 points, Vladimir Radmanovic added 11, Ariza had 10, and Andrew Bynum had nine points, 17 rebounds to match a career high and four blocked shots… Al Thornton led the Clippers (0-5) with 22 points. Tim Thomas added 18 points and 11 rebounds and Baron Davis had 17 points and seven assists.

Baron Davis Clippers losing early

The Los Angeles Daily News (Ramona Shelburne) reports: New Clipper Baron Davis, disappointed after the team’s season-opening 117-79 loss to the Lakers on Oct. 29, tried to keep things in perspective during postgame interviews. The Clippers, after all, were playing together for basically the first time that night, against one of the best teams in the league. “Did I expect to lose like that? No. Do I expect us to go 0-7? No,” Davis said… “A win would help,” Davis said. “A win would defintely help lift our spirits. We need to figure out what a win feels like as a unit. “We’re a work in progress, so it’s going to take some patience. No one is in panic mode yet.” True, but there is a sense of urgency. Davis himself felt that Monday night against Utah, when he decided to play on his badly bruised hip about five minutes before tipoff.

Nov 3: Jazz 89, Clippers 73

The AP reports: Paul Millsap scored 15 of his 24 points during a decisive 17-3 run in the fourth quarter, and the unbeaten Utah Jazz beat the winless Los Angeles Clippers 89-73 Monday night. A 3-pointer by Cuttino Mobley trimmed Utah’s lead to 67-64 before Millsap began his tear by making a pair of foul shots with 8:47 remaining. He finished it with a dunk with 4:37 left, giving the Jazz an 84-67 advantage. Mehmet Okur scored 16 points, Andrei Kirilenko had 15 points and 11 rebounds, and Carlos Boozer added 13 points and eight rebounds for the Jazz (3-0). Millsap also had nine rebounds, leading the Jazz to a 44-38 advantage in that department… Chris Kaman led the Clippers (0-4) with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Baron Davis, returning to action after missing two games because of a sore left hip, had 14 points and nine assists. He shot just 5-of-15, including 1-of-8 in the first half. Marcus Camby had five points and nine rebounds in his debut with the Clippers.