When the Los Angeles Clippers signed Baron Davis this summer, they didn't figure they'd be sputtering offensively during another dismal start for the long-struggling franchise.

Then again, they also didn't expect Elton Brand would be suiting up for their opponent on Friday.

That's when Brand will face his former club for the first time since his controversial split from the Clippers, as his Philadelphia 76ers look to bounce back at home after their three-game winning streak was snapped their last time out.

After averaging 20.3 points and 10.3 rebounds in seven seasons with Los Angeles, Brand opted out of the final year of his contract this summer. The Clippers still hoped and expected to re-sign the former No. 1 overall pick, especially after they bolstered their roster when Davis signed a five-year, $65 million deal.

"I talked to him, would tell him, 'Hey, this is the best place for you, we can do great things.' But obviously he chose otherwise," Davis said in July. "I can't be mad at him for that. I wish Elton Brand the best. He's a great guy, always going to a great player and a friend of mine. He made a decision for the future of his family."

In interviews, Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy said that Brand had made a verbal agreement to return to Los Angeles if the team acquired Davis, but he signed a five-year deal worth nearly $80 million with Philadelphia on July 9.

"We had a great relationship the whole time he was here," Dunleavy said. "It's surprising, some things you can't figure out. I don't know why he left. All the e-mails we exchanged were positive. All of a sudden, it just fell off a cliff."

Brand said he never made any commitment to Los Angeles.

"My intention was to try and work something out with the Clippers," he said.

Instead, he's trying to lead a revival for the Sixers (5-6), although it has not gone according to plan in the early going. With Brand and Andre Iguodala struggling offensively, Philadelphia failed to score 90 points in each of its losses during a 2-5 start.

The Sixers rebounded with three straight wins against Toronto, Indiana and Oklahoma City last week, but suffered a 102-96 loss at Minnesota on Wednesday, ending the Timberwolves' eight-game skid.

Brand had 19 points and 13 rebounds while Andre Miller led the way with 20 points and six assists, but the Sixers' late comeback attempt fell short as they allowed Minnesota to shoot a season-high 51.4 percent from the field.

"We're doing all right. We have our ups and downs and are learning a lot about each other," Brand said. "There are no gimmes. ... You can't get relaxed, and I think we did that."

Brand likely won't be relaxed against the lowly Clippers (2-9), even though Dunleavy's club is among the NBA's worst in points per game (90.9) and field goal percentage (41.8).

The former Duke star led Los Angeles to the second round of the playoffs in 2006 - the first time the franchise had won a playoff series in 30 years - but he missed nearly all of last season with a ruptured Achilles' tendon as the Clippers went 23-59.

Looking to fill voids after Brand and Corey Maggette left via free agency, Los Angeles is off to another slow start. Davis is shooting a career-low 36.1 percent and averaging 15.5 points, his fewest in eight years.

Still, the Clippers turned in arguably their best performance in their last game, a 108-88 win at Oklahoma City on Wednesday. All five starters scored in double figures, including 25 points and 14 rebounds by Chris Kaman and 23 points by Cuttino Mobley.

"Baron said before the game, 'You've got to get focused.' He told the whole team that," Mobley said.

If the Clippers were focused for either of their games against Philadelphia last season, it didn't show. Despite entering the season with a three-game winning streak against the Sixers, Los Angeles scored 80 points in each of its two lopsided losses.