Clippers sail to win
LOS ANGELES – Chris Kaman tied a career high with 25 points and grabbed 10 rebounds before sitting out the fourth quarter, Sam Cassell scored 24 points, and the Los Angeles Clippers breezed to a 98-72 victory over the Seattle SuperSonics on Saturday night.
Elton Brand missed his second straight game because of a bruised right hip, forcing the Clippers to use their seventh different starting lineup. Rookie James Singleton began the game in Brand’s power forward spot, finishing with eight points and 10 rebounds in 24 minutes.
The Clippers held the Sonics to 34 percent shooting. They have won consecutive games for the first time since winning their fourth straight on Dec. 10.
Rashard Lewis scored 22 points for Seattle, while Ray Allen served the second game of his three-game suspension for fighting with Orlando’s Keyon Dooling.
Two other Sonics also didn’t make the trip to Los Angeles – Danny Fortson because of a sore left knee; and Vitaly Potapenko, who strained his lower back during Friday night’s loss against Miami.
Cassell capped a 12-2 run with a 12-footer, extending the Clippers’ lead to 70-52 with just less than 3 minutes left in the third quarter. Seattle got no closer than 16 points.
Kaman, who finished 10 for 12 from the field, outscored Lewis 21-19 in the first half to help Los Angeles take a 50-40 lead. The Sonics, who connected on their first 11 field-goal attempts in Friday’s loss to Miami, missed 23 of their first 29 shots against a Clippers squad that came in with the league’s fourth-best field-goal percentage defense.
Facing Seattle for the first time since a 101-93 victory on opening night, Los Angeles built a 39-22 lead with a 16-0 run that included eight points by Cuttino Mobley. Kaman triggered the rally with a three-point play and capped it on a dunk with 6:24 left in the second quarter.
Notes
Reggie Evans rejoined his Seattle teammates after missing two games to attend a funeral in Chicago on Wednesday, but didn’t dress because of an upper respiratory problem. … Rashard Lewis was the only Sonics starter who had more than one field goal in the first half. … The SuperSonics are 2-5 since Bob Hill replaced Bob Weiss as head coach.
Clippers 98, SuperSonics 72
| FG | FT | Reb | |||||
| SEATTLE | Min | M-A | M-A | O-T | A | PF | PTS |
| Lewis | 38:49 | 6-11 | 9-12 | 3-4 | 2 | 1 | 22 |
| Radmanovic | 29:59 | 2-11 | 0-0 | 1-6 | 3 | 2 | 4 |
| Petro | 11:38 | 1-6 | 0-0 | 3-4 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Wilkins | 42:16 | 5-13 | 2-5 | 4-10 | 1 | 3 | 13 |
| Ridnour | 45:43 | 2-10 | 0-0 | 0-4 | 5 | 2 | 4 |
| Swift | 21:23 | 3-8 | 0-2 | 0-2 | 0 | 3 | 6 |
| Murray | 34:52 | 6-12 | 2-2 | 0-3 | 0 | 2 | 14 |
| Collison | 9:05 | 1-5 | 3-3 | 0-1 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| Moore | 6:15 | 1-3 | 0-0 | 2-2 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Totals | 240:00 | 27-79 | 16-24 | 13-36 | 11 | 16 | 72 |
Percentages: FG .342, FT .667. 3-Point Goals: 2-15, .133 (Wilkins 1-1, Lewis 1-4, Murray 0-2, Ridnour 0-2, Radmanovic 0-6). Team Rebounds: 7. Team Turnovers: 13 (14 PTS). Blocked Shots: 4 (Lewis 2, Wilkins, Petro). Turnovers: 12 (Radmanovic 3, Murray 2, Swift 2, Wilkins 2, Lewis, Collison, Ridnour). Steals: 10 (Lewis 4, Murray 2, Wilkins 2, Radmanovic, Swift). Technical Fouls: None.
| FG | FT | Reb | |||||
| L.A.CLIPPERS | Min | M-A | M-A | O-T | A | PF | PTS |
| Livingston | 32:12 | 2-5 | 0-0 | 2-4 | 6 | 1 | 4 |
| Singleton | 24:27 | 3-4 | 2-2 | 3-10 | 2 | 4 | 8 |
| Kaman | 33:43 | 10-12 | 5-6 | 2-10 | 1 | 3 | 25 |
| Mobley | 41:15 | 6-16 | 2-2 | 1-8 | 4 | 2 | 14 |
| Cassell | 35:54 | 11-21 | 2-2 | 1-3 | 6 | 4 | 24 |
| Korolev | 7:45 | 1-3 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Wilcox | 18:19 | 1-1 | 2-2 | 3-7 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Ross | 17:56 | 5-9 | 0-2 | 3-7 | 1 | 2 | 10 |
| N’Dong | 6:19 | 1-2 | 0-0 | 1-1 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Ewing | 22:10 | 1-7 | 2-4 | 1-2 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Totals | 240:00 | 41-80 | 15-20 | 17-53 | 26 | 18 | 98 |
Percentages: FG .512, FT .750. 3-Point Goals: 1-2, .500 (Korolev 1-1, Mobley 0-1). Team Rebounds: 8. Team Turnovers: 18 (18 PTS). Blocked Shots: 6 (Singleton 2, Wilcox, Kaman, Livingston, Mobley). Turnovers: 16 (Cassell 4, Kaman 3, Mobley 3, Wilcox 2, Singleton 2, Livingston, N’Dong). Steals: 6 (Mobley 2, Cassell 2, Ross, Korolev). Technical Fouls: None.
| Seattle | 19 | 21 | 18 | 14—72 |
| L.A. Clippers | 23 | 27 | 26 | 22—98 |
A—18,099 (18,964). T—2:02.