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Chris Tucker sits courtside with Clippers owner Donald Sterling.
Andrew D. Bernstein (NBAE via Getty Images)
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Saturday, December 2, 2006 | Los Angeles, CA Final: LAKERS 97, CLIPPERS 88 |
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The Clippers looked to improve their home record against the Lakers this Saturday, on a day when all teams in Los Angeles played out their rivalries.
The Clippers held tough in the first period, maintaining a 22-20 lead. The second period however was a big difference maker in the game. The Clippers went a little cold from the floor and the Lakers, not Kobe Bryant, took advantage. Kobe wasn’t all that spectacular in the first half. He was held in check by Quinton Ross and Shaun Livingston(who had two impressive blocks against Kobe). Lamar Odom and Smush Parker got hot from the floor, giving the Lakers an eight point cushion at the break.
The Clippers bounced back in the third quarter. Cuttino Mobley hit consecutive 3-pointers and earned a 60-59 advantage with 3:33 remaining, but it was all Lakers from that point on. The Clippers fell 88-97 to the Lakers, only their second loss on their home floor.
Kobe Bryant led all scorers with 29 points, but a good chunk of those points were from free throws made in the final minute. Lamar Odom had a solid 18 points and 8 rebounds, but the X-Factor was Vladimir Radmonovic who tallied 10 points in just 11 minutes off the bench.
Cuttino Mobley and Elton Brand both had 17 points on the night. In a bit of a surprise, Chris Kaman decided to play and had eight points and 12 rebounds.
The Clippers haven’t played too potential this season, something that has left everyone searching for answers. Lakers Coach Phil Jackson commented on the Clippers performance thus far. “I don’t know the reason for our success compared to theirs. They’re perhaps not shooting the ball as well. They’ve had some injuries that have changed their timing and coordination skills, for instance.”
Elton Brand was unhappy with the way his team played tonight, commenting, “It was disappointing; we had a lot of lapses tonight. Late in the game we have to trust each other and be a team.” Afterwards, Elton compared his current team with that of last year’s. “When we made our run last year, that is what made us so deadly. When we shared the ball, we let the team win games instead of individuals.”
The Clippers host Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic this Sunday at STAPLES.
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On tonight’s game... “I thought our turnovers tonight were just way too costly; eighteen turnovers for 28 points. The turnover differential, points off turnovers, was just too big to overcome. We were just at times careless with the ball. We just have to make better decisions. We did a better job on the boards tonight, but again the turnover department was the one that hurt us. I thought our guys missed too many easy shots around the basket. I don’t know the reason why we haven’t been finishing, but it’s a big difference for us.”
On the team effort...
On Tim Thomas...
On Chris Kaman...
On tonight’s game... “It was disappointing, we had a lot of lapses tonight. There were times where we were aggressive, but other times where we were not aggressive enough. They got some loose balls and made a lot of their shots.”
On tonight’s game...
On the difference between last year’s team and this one...
On the team’s performance this year...
On the Lakers' game compared to Clippers'... “I don’t know the reason for our success compared to their’s. They’re perhaps, not shooting the ball as well. They’ve had some injuries that has changed their timing and coordination skills, for instance, Tim Thomas and Maggette. And because of that we were able to keep them quiet tonight.”
On the Laker line-ups... “Those are the guys that always play together in practice. We’ve been playing together for a long time so everybody is getting the ball in just the right spot.”
On tonight’s game... “The game against Utah was a team win. It just so happened that Kobe went for 30 points in the quarter. But defensively and rebounding-wise we played team basketball. Tonight was the same thing because I know that the Clippers probably watched that tape and thought ‘that’s not going to happen to us.’ But everybody was able to stay involved in the game and that really helped us.”
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Chris Kaman logged 11 defensive rebounds in tonight's game. His previous record for defensive rebounds was 10 on November 18, 2005 during the Clippers' 97-91 win. |
