Magic-Clippers Preview

By JEFF BARTL
Posted Jan 12 2013 3:41PM

Even so-so efforts are leading to victories for the surging Los Angeles Clippers, a luxury the Orlando Magic haven't had during their rough stretch.

Los Angeles looks to extend its franchise-record home winning streak to 14 by sending struggling Orlando to an 11th consecutive defeat Saturday.

The Clippers (28-8) will complete a four-game homestand after defeating Dallas 99-93 on Wednesday despite committing 21 turnovers - their most since a season-high 25 in a home loss to Cleveland on Nov. 5.

Vinny Del Negro, who became the fastest coach in franchise history to earn his 100th victory, knows that type of effort may not yield such positive results moving forward.

"We weren't as consistent as we need to be," Del Negro said. "We had so many turnovers it was hard to get a rhythm offensively. When we're struggling offensively, we've got to lock down defensively."

The Clippers have won 20 of their last 22 overall and haven't lost at Staples Center since falling to New Orleans on Nov. 26, but they've had trouble taking care of the ball - especially at home.

They've turned it over at least 20 times on five occasions - four in Los Angeles - and rank in the bottom third of the league with 14.7 turnovers per game at home.

When the Clippers give it away 14 times or fewer this season, they're 15-0.

"We know we can play better," said Chris Paul, who had a season-high 16 assists Wednesday and is averaging 25.3 points and 12.7 assists on the homestand. "It's not going to be merry every night."

Paul's 29 points helped Los Angeles end a nine-game losing streak versus Orlando with a 107-102 overtime victory in the teams' lone meeting last season. The Magic (12-23) have won four straight road matchups with the Clippers, though those all came with Dwight Howard in uniform.

They've struggled recently in the absence of another big man, dropping all 10 games since Glen Davis went down with a sprained shoulder Dec. 19.

Orlando is in the midst of its longest losing streak since a 13-game skid from March 13-April 10, 2004, after blowing a nine-point fourth-quarter lead and falling 108-105 at Denver on Wednesday.

The Magic have led at the half five times during the skid and are shooting 50.7 percent in the first half during that stretch. That number drops to 44.1 after the intermission.

"It's tough to lose games, no matter how many you lose in a row, even if it's just one," said Jameer Nelson, who has averaged 25.5 points over the last four games. "We just have to stick together."

Health has been an issue, as Hedo Turkoglu sat Wednesday with soreness in his surgically repaired left hand and guard E'Twaun Moore missed his sixth straight game with a sprained elbow. Both hope to play Saturday, though undrafted rookie DeQuan Jones could make his sixth straight start either way.

Jones scored a career-high 11 points while fellow rookies Andrew Nicholson (12 points) and Maurice Harkless (nine points, six rebounds) also turned in solid efforts Wednesday.

"It was a great effort by them," coach Jacque Vaughn said. "They gave us a lot and they were prepared to play."

Grant Hill (knee) spent six injury-plagued seasons with Orlando from 2000-07 and is expected to make his season debut for the Clippers, who got sixth man Jamal Crawford back Wednesday after he missed the previous two games with a sore left foot.

Los Angeles' bench ranks near the top of the league at 41.2 points per game, led by Crawford's 16.3 and a career-high 11.1 from ex-Magic forward Matt Barnes.

Magic beat Clippers 104-101 to end 10-game skid

By BETH HARRIS
Posted Jan 12 2013 7:33PM

LOS ANGELES (AP) Two streaking teams going in opposite directions. The Clippers, co-owners of the NBA's best record and on a roll at home. The Magic, playing opponents close only to fall short while piling up the franchise's longest skid since the 2003-04 season.

Something had to give, and this time, it was the Clippers.

J.J. Redick gave Orlando its first lead of the game on a 3-pointer with 42 seconds left, Arron Afflalo tied his season high with 30 points, and the Magic won 104-101 on Saturday to snap a 10-game skid.

"It wasn't a letdown by us. Don't try to take anything away from them," Clippers guard Chris Paul said. "They made tough shot after tough shot. J.J. Reddick had a hand in his face half the time."

The loss ended the Clippers' franchise-record, 13-game home-winning streak and provided them with a scare when All-Star Paul went down holding his right knee with 54 seconds to go.

"It was real scary," Paul said. "I was looking up, trying to run down the ball, and J.J. Redick and I bumped knees."

Paul returned after a timeout and hit a 15-footer to draw his team within one with 33 seconds left.

But the Clippers turned the ball over on Jamal Crawford's offensive foul, with Redick drawing the charge.

"I got the ball in transition and I thought I saw Matt (Barnes) over there," Crawford said. "I thought I made the right decision, but J.J. Redick guessed right. I thought he was going to rotate, so I faced it. When I put the ball down he stayed there, so lucky guess."

Josh McRoberts found Nikola Vucevic open under the basket, and Vucevic dunked to extend Orlando's lead to 104-101 with 8 seconds left.

After a timeout, Crawford missed a 3-pointer as time expired.

"We got muffled a little, so we tried to make the best out of the situation," he said.

The Clippers were 6 of 6 from the free throw line, and Orlando was 15 of 19.

"That's unheard of," Paul said. "Blake (Griffin) takes 22 shots and no free throws. That's not typical for us."

Redick added 21 points, and Vucevic had 18 points and 15 rebounds for the injury-riddled Magic, who also stopped a four-game road losing streak. They completed a sweep of the LA teams, having beaten the Lakers 113-103 at Staples Center on Dec. 2, when Afflalo also scored 30 points.

"Too bad we can't play here all year," said Afflalo, who starred at UCLA before Vucevic played across town at Southern California. "I was the sour grape at the end letting guys know this only counts as one game."

Griffin tied his season-high with 30 points, Crawford added 13 points, and Paul had 10 points and 16 assists for the Clippers.

"This was a bad loss," Griffin said. "We have to get back to what made us successful and what got us here. That was our defensive intensity and everybody contributing and everybody having a fire out there."

Crawford's 3-pointer gave the Clippers a 95-87 lead in the fourth. But the Magic rallied to tie the game at 95-all with eight straight points. The run was capped by Vucevic's jumper after Afflalo made a 3-pointer while being fouled by Barnes, who picked up his fifth.

"An embarrassing performance for us," Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro said. "We got what we deserved."

The Magic had earlier fourth-quarter leads against Miami, the Knicks, Portland and Denver this season, but were unable to finish. Not this time against a sluggish Clippers team that was coming off two days' rest, as was the Magic.

"We weren't just losing and not giving the effort," Afflalo said. "We were losing very close games and we kept fighting."

The Magic had been struggling since big man Glen Davis hurt his left shoulder on Dec. 19. They finally won their first game without him, improving to 6-11 on the road and 13-23 overall since he got injured.

"We were able to put it together, and some things went our way," Orlando coach Jacque Vaughn said. "We earned it."

Orlando opened the third with a 17-9 run, including 12 by Afflalo to make it 66-66.

"Seven of our last 10 games have all been one possession games at one point or another in the last minute and we just haven't had the ball bounce our way," Redick said. "The law of averages worked out."

Powered by Griffin, the Clippers ended the period on an identical 17-9 spurt to lead 83-75. Griffin scored their final 10 points, highlighted by an alley-oop dunk and back-to-back hook shots, the latter banking in on a turnaround move.

Grant Hill made his season debut for the Clippers, entering the game to a standing ovation in the fourth. The seven-time All-Star had missed 36 games with a bone bruise in his right knee. He made two free throws and had two rebounds in six minutes.

"When Vinny called my number, I was really nervous," he said. "But that's part of it, the butterflies. It's still kind of new, getting out there and playing with this team. The most important thing is that my knee felt good. My legs were a little heavy. But I passed the test."

The Clippers led by 13 points twice in the first half. The Magic tied the game three times in the second quarter before the Clippers restored their lead to double digits on a 3-pointer by Paul that capped a 13-0 run.

NOTES: Hill played his 998th NBA game. He hadn't played since Oct. 13 when he had eight points and three rebounds in an exhibition game against Miami in Shanghai. ... Vaughn said Davis is progressing back in Orlando and there's "nothing negative" in his rehab. ... Del Negro watched his alma mater, 20th-ranked North Carolina State, upset No. 1 Duke before his game. ... Vaughn spent the team's off day visiting his parents in nearby Pasadena, where he starred as a prep player. ... Shaquille O'Neal sat courtside wearing a Dodgers hoodie, while Dodgers manager Don Mattingly attended, too.

Notebook: Magic 104, Clippers 101

Dan Arritt, For NBA.com
Posted Sat Jan 12, 2013 7:38 PM - Updated Sat Jan 12, 2013 7:38 PM

THE FACTS: The Magic were due to come up on the better end of a close game. The Clippers were bound to see their home-winning streak end at some point. Both scenarios came to fruition Saturday afternoon at Staples Center, as visiting Orlando (13-23) overcame a nine-point deficit at the start of the fourth quarter to beat the Clippers 104-101, ending a 10-game losing streak in which six of its losses came by four points or less. L.A. (28-9), meanwhile, had its franchise best, 13 game home-winning streak snapped.

QUOTABLE: "Seven of our last 10 games have been one-possession games at one point or another in the last minute, and we just haven't had the ball bounce our way. The law of averages worked out [today]."

--Orlando guard J.J. Redick

THE STAT: The Magic trailed by as many as 13 points before mounting their comeback. Orlando has rallied back from a double-digit deficit in six of its 13 victories.

TURNING POINT: Orlando never led until Redick set his feet and nailed a 3-pointer with 42 seconds remaining, giving the Magic a 102-99 lead. Chris Paul, who had collided with Redick on the previous possession leaving him writhing in pain on the court, remained in the game and sank a pull up 15-footer to draw the Clippers within one with 33 seconds remaining. Lamar Odom then blocked Jameer Nelson's short jumper, leading to a fast break for the Clippers. Redick drew a charge on Jamal Crawford, however, giving Orlando the ball with 12 seconds left. L.A. didn't immediately foul Orlando on the ensuing in-bounds pass and then left 7-foot center Nikola Vucevic alone in the key. He took a pass from Josh McRoberts and slammed it through the rim with 8.1 seconds left for a 104-101 lead. The Clippers had a final opportunity to tie the score, but Crawford's 3-pointer at the buzzer clanked off the rim.

QUOTABLE II: "I saw Crawford and [Matt] Barnes were 2-on-1 on my side, so I decided to just protect the rim. If [Crawford] kicked it out to Barnes, either me or somebody else would have had to close late. He didn't give the ball up, he just kind of ran right through me."

--J.J. Redick

HOT: Orlando guard Arron Afflalo returned home to Southern California and matched his season high with 30 points. The former UCLA star shot 10-for-19 from the floor while producing the fifth 30-point game of his six-year career. He made all three of his 3-point attempts while also matching his season high with seven rebounds and his career high with seven assists. Blake Griffin also matched his season high with 30 points for the Clippers, shooting 15-for-22, but he didn't take a shot in the fourth quarter after scoring 14 in the third.

NOT: Even before committing the momentum-swinging charge in the final minute and missing the game-tying 3-pointer, Crawford looked off his game. The team's third-leading scorer coming in (16.3) shot 4-for-12 from the floor and had just one assist for the second consecutive game. So far this month, he's shooting 37.1 percent from the floor and has more turnovers (nine) than assists (seven). Crawford missed two games this month with a sore left foot, so he could still be feeling some discomfort.

GOOD MOVE: Orlando back-up point guard Ish Smith must have seen some late-night highlight clips of the Clippers' high-flying acts this season. Maybe he was just trying to impress Paul, another Wake Forest grad, but either way the 6-footer threw down a power dunk midway through the second quarter that left the rim shaking. Smith was fouled hard on the play by Eric Bledsoe and slammed to the floor. He got up, however, and then shot an air ball on the ensuing free throw.

BAD MOVE: Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro picked an odd time to put Grant Hill in the game for his long-awaited debut. Hill, who had been out since the preseason with a bone bruise in his right knee, entered the game at the start of the fourth quarter, when the Clippers were leading by nine. Playing with the established reserve corps of Crawford, Odom, Bledsoe and Barnes, Hill's presence seemed to throw them all out of whack. The Clippers missed their first seven field-goal attempts in the fourth, including three by Hill, opening the door for the Magic to crawl back. Still, the Clippers led by eight points with just under five minutes to play and Paul and Co. could not finish them off.

QUOTABLE III: "It's good to get back out there and test your body. The thing is, you can't get overly frustrated, but you also can't be satisfied."

--Grant Hill

NOTABLE: Paul finished with 10 points and had a season-high 16 assists for the second consecutive game. Barnes, Willie Green and DeAndre Jordan also finished with 10 points. ... Orlando's victory leaves only the Lakers without a win in 2013. ... Vucevic, who played collegiately at USC, finished with 18 points and 15 rebounds for his sixth consecutive double-double

UP NEXT: For the Clippers, Monday @ Memphis, Tuesday @ Houston, Thursday @ Minnesota. For the Magic, Monday @ Washington, Wednesday vs. Indiana, Friday vs. Charlotte.

• Magic: Davis, Harrington
• Clippers: Billups, Thompkins

• Magic: Afflalo
• Clippers: Crawford

• Lead Changes: 1
• Times Tied: 8

• Arena: Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
• Officials: #25 Tony Brothers, #54 Nick Buchert, #38 Michael Smith
• Attendance: 19060
• Duration: 2:06