 | ||||||
 | ||||||
| ||||||
| ||||||
|
Wednesday, November 7, 2007 - Conseco Fieldhouse
NEXT GAME: Clippers @ Detroit Pistons
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Sam Cassell scored 35 points to lead the Los Angeles Clippers to a 104-89 win over the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night in a matchup of unbeaten teams. Cassell was 13-for-20 from the field to tie his highest point total since he joined the Clippers in 2005. Chris Kaman added 15 points and 22 rebounds for the Clippers (4-0). His rebound total was the highest of any player in the league so far this season. Los Angeles guard Cuttino Mobley left the game holding his right groin with 6:41 remaining in the first quarter and did not return. Mobley scored 33 points on Tuesday night against the Bulls. Danny Granger led Indiana with 16 points in his first game since being named Eastern Conference player of the week. Mike Dunleavy added 15 points and Jermaine O'Neal had 13 for the Pacers (3-1). The Clippers were 8-for-15 from 3-point range and outrebounded the Pacers 53-40. Indiana shot just 10 for 36 in the second half. Indiana went on an 18-2 run from late in the first quarter to early in the second to take a 30-24 lead. The Pacers led 58-55 at halftime. The Clippers had a 68-67 advantage in the third quarter before going on a 14-0 run that included seven points by Cassell. Los Angeles held the Pacers to 5-for-21 shooting in the quarter to lead 87-72 at the end of the period. A jumper by Jeff Foster and a free throw by Granger cut the Clippers' lead to 11 with 7:03 left. Los Angeles answered with a bucket by Cassell and a 3-pointer by Tim Thomas to push the lead to 95-79. The Clippers led by as many as 21 points in the final quarter. Copyright 2007 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited.
Postgame Quotes
“We got a great performance from a lot of guys tonight. We had a lot of guys step up. We talked about our strength is versatility. In different situations we play by how the other team plays. (On Sam Cassell) We had match-up and we went at it. He can last a long time. (On Mike Dunleavy Jr.) I’m really pleased in him. It’s the right position for him. I think Jimmy (O’Brien) has done a great job. I know he’s happy here. (On their record) You can’t win three of them unless you win two of them.”
“We are having great leadership by our veteran guys. Sam Cassell did a tremendous job for the team tonight. Chris Kaman did extremely well on the boards. In training camp our motto was believe and we’ve gotten off to a great start here early in the season and now we just have to keep it up. The difference in the third quarter tonight was Sam Cassell. He got hot and he just kept going. Plus, Kaman like I said was unbelievable on the boards. We are just having different guys stepping up on different nights. For example, last night it was Cuttino (Mobley) who carried us. So it’s a great thing to see, different people stepping up and leading the team every night.”
“I’m just happy to be 37 and still playing basketball. I think I can play for a little more as long as I stay healthy. I’m trying to follow Reggie Miller. I watched him, how he prepared and admired it. But like I said, I’m just out there playing the game of basketball. If they need me to pass the ball I’ll pass it. If they need me to shoot it, I can do that too. We go into each game as an underdog. But we’re going to play the same was for 48 minutes. We may have our lapses for five or six minutes and the other team will go on their little run at that time, but we are going to stick with it and just keep playing and hopefully wear them down.“
“I thought the Clippers really played a great game with people banged up. Sam Cassell was fantastic. He’s an awful tough guard. I’ve seen him put up big points over the years. He’s a load to handle when he’s on like he was tonight. I thought we had a lot of great looks but we just didn’t put the ball in the basket. I thought the effort was good. I think defensive rebounding is every person’s job. I don’t think we did a good job getting back from the perimeter to rebound. In order for us to get in a running game, you have to get stops. You can’t give up13 offensive rebounds and you can’t send the other team to the line 35 times.”
“We must look at ourselves in this game because we put ourselves in the position that we were in. (On the crowd) We have to accept this too because we were the ones that put ourselves in that position. People are not going to come back after three or four games. We have to prove ourselves on the court and off the court to get people back in here. This is the NBA. We did have a bad overall game, but this is only one. As far as Sam Cassell, he is out of the Reggie Miller mold. He’s going to come in and burn you often. We look like the team that played last night, but that is the NBA.”
“We got good looks but we missed a lot of the shots that we normally make. You can’t win a game shooting that way and getting out rebounded. We couldn’t fast break because we couldn’t get stops. A stop means that you can fast break. I think we had a lack of concentration and focus on the game plan and didn’t execute. They played well.” Postgame Notes
| ||||||
| ||||||
| ||||||
|
