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Warriors trounce Clippers 96-85
Jason Richardson had 28 points and nine rebounds ands the Golden State Warriors capitalized on an injury-ravaged Los Angeles lineup to beat the Clippers 96-85 on Sunday.
The Clippers, missing four of their top-five scorers and coming off consecutive down-to-the-wire defeats to their Staples Center co-tenants, the Lakers, lost for the 11th time in 13 games.
Power forward Elton Brand, the only healthy Clipper averaging more than 7.1 points, drew most of the defensive attention from the Warriors and missed his first four shots before finishing with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Rookie center Chris Kaman, the only Clipper to appear in every game this season, played 12 scoreless minutes.
The Clippers used their 23rd different starting lineup, with Corey Maggette unavailable because of a sore left knee and Quentin Richardson sidelined by back spasms. Backup center Chris Wilcox sat out his fourth straight game due to a strained left Achilles' tendon, and Marko Jaric missed his eighth game because of a sprained big toe on his left foot.
It was the third time this season that Maggette and Richardson missed the same game, and the first time at home. In the other two games, the Clippers beat Toronto 78-68 on Jan. 9, and lost to Memphis 102-100 on Feb. 11.
The Warriors built a 22-point lead early in the second quarter and never looked back, winning in wire-to-wire fashion for the second time in four games. They pulled away with a 14-3 run capped by Clifford Robinson's tip-in with 5:40 left in the first half, extending their margin to 45-23. Robinson finished with 18 points.
One thing that kept the game close was Golden State's 4-for-22 shooting from 3-point range. The Clippers narrowed the gap to 75-64 on a 22-footer by Predrag Drobnjak with 10:33 to play, but they never got closer than nine points on a pair of 3-pointers by Keyon Dooling in the final minute.
Notes:@ Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy Sr. observed his 50th birthday on Sunday. "I'm starting the back nine today," joked Dunleavy, a 14-handicapper on the golf course ¡ª and now eligible for the Champions Tour. ... The national anthem was sung by former San Diego Clippers center Swen Nater, who still holds the franchise record for career field-goal percentage (54.2), rebounds in a season (1,216) and rebounds in a game (32). Nater was honored by the team in a halftime ceremony more than 20 years after playing his last game for them. ... Warriors G Avery Johnson turns 39 on Thursday. ... The Warriors signed J.R. Bremer to a second 10-day contract. F Troy Murphy was scratched because of a sprained left ankle. |
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