Brand, "His size is an anomaly. His size in there definitely changes things"

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/sports/10505011.htm


Clippers blown away in Houston

BY ART THOMPSON III

The Orange County Register



HOUSTON - (KRT) - Corey Maggette led the Los Angeles Clippers in scoring Sunday night, which was fine. He led them in assists, which was good, too.

But the story of the Clippers' performance against the Houston Rockets might best be summed up by the fact that Maggette, the team's starting shooting guard, also had a team-high seven rebounds.

The Houston Rockets dominated the glass and showcased a trio of 20-point scorers in a 96-79 trouncing of the Clippers in front of 16,548 at Toyota Center.

The loss, the Clippers' sixth in the past seven games was the team's eighth consecutive defeat at the hands of the Rockets.

Jimmy Jackson and Tracy McGrady each scored 21 for Houston, and center Yao Ming had 20. Maggette, playing despite a strained left groin muscle, had 23 points and eighth assists to go with his seven rebounds.

Clippers forward Elton Brand had a season-low three rebounds to go with 11 points in 30 minutes. It was the fewest rebounds for Brand since last April 4 against Utah, when he had three in 36 minutes.

Clippers center Chris Kaman took down three rebounds in 17 minutes. Meanwhile, Yao had 11 rebounds, six on the offensive end.

"Our bigs just didn't board," Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy said.

"We let them control us in that regard."

TALL STORY

Kaman stands 7-feet, but next to Houston's Yao Ming he is dwarfed.

Yao, at 7-6, is the NBA's tallest player, and Kaman will attest that Yao uses his height well.

"His height is to his advantage definitely," said Kaman, following the Clippers' loss Sunday. "And he has a very strong lower body so when he gets into position, it's hard to get him out of there."

Yao scored 20 points and none of his six field goals was shot from farther away than 3 feet from the basket.

"It's really disappointing at times when you work so hard to get good position and he just reaches right over the top of you to get the rebound," Kaman said.

Clippers forward Elton Brand said, "His size is an anomaly. His size in there definitely changes things for your team."



INJURY UPDATE

Clippers point guard Marko Jaric missed his second consecutive game because of an injured left foot. Before the game, Jaric said a recent MRI exam showed he has a partially torn ligament. He definitely is out for tonight's game against the Memphis Grizzlies.

"Hopefully, I can play Wednesday (against Utah)," Jaric said. "I'm still recovering. A couple of days ago, I couldn't even walk, so it is getting better."

Meanwhile, the epidural that guard Kerry Kittles was given last Wednesday apparently did not improve his sciatic condition.

Kittles was placed on the injured list Tuesday with the outside hope that he not have to sit out five games before he returned, but Kittles plans to get another epidural Wednesday.

"I've been told that sometimes you have to do two or three before you get better," Kittles said. "But you have to wait a week before you can take another one."

Kittles' contribution so far has been minimal. Between knee and back problems, he has played in five games and has scored 28 points.

"What can I say? I can't catch a break," he said.

MORE PAIN

Not only are Jaric and Kittles out, Corey Maggette is playing despite a sore groin muscle, and rookie Quinton Ross is playing despite a hip pointer. To help ease the injury situation, the Clippers signed guard Kirk Penney out of the NBA's developmental league. Penney averaged 9.4 points in 12 games with the Asheville Altitude. His specialty is perimeter shooting.

 

http://www.latimes.com/sports/baske...,1,6694146.story?coll=la-headlines-sports-nba


Rockets Kick Up Storm for L.A.


Maggette scores 23 for Clippers, who avoid snow but can't contain the offense of McGrady, Jackson and Yao in Houston's 96-79 victory.


By Jerry Crowe, Times Staff Writer

HOUSTON — On the plus side, the Clippers avoided Houston's first snowstorm in 15 years, arriving in town Saturday evening, a day late.

And three starters sat out the fourth quarter at the Toyota Center, which should leave them a bit fresher for tonight's game against the Memphis Grizzlies.

Otherwise, it was hard to pinpoint any positives for the Clippers as they flew out of Texas and winged their way toward Tennessee late Sunday night after the Houston Rockets had saddled them with their sixth loss in seven games.

Tracy McGrady, Jim Jackson and Yao Ming combined for 62 points and the Rockets led for all but the first two minutes of a 96-79 victory.

Trailing by 12 points at halftime, the Clippers opened the third quarter with a 9-0 run and the Rockets missed their first five shots of the second half. But then Jackson made two three-point shots in 10 seconds, sandwiched around a head-scratching Chris Kaman turnover courtesy of the Clipper center's stepping onto the court while inbounding the ball, and the Rockets regained command.

Nearly one-third of the way into the season, the Clippers still haven't defeated a team that made the Western Conference playoffs last season.

They're 0-7 after again playing without guards Marko Jaric and Kerry Kittles.

Jaric sat out for the second game in a row because of a sprained right foot and said he would not be available until Wednesday night against the Utah Jazz, at the earliest. Kittles, on the injured list because of sciatica caused by a bulging disk in his lower back, will be sidelined for at least three more games. He is scheduled for a second epidural Wednesday after the first provided little relief.

Corey Maggette returned to the lineup after sitting out Tuesday's overtime victory over the New Orleans Hornets because of a strained left groin and led the Clippers with 23 points, eight assists and seven rebounds.

But after tweaking the injury in the third quarter he sat out the fourth, as did Kaman and Elton Brand, who had only 11 points and three rebounds.

"With a game to play [tonight], it didn't seem to make much sense" to leave them in, Coach Mike Dunleavy said. "I let some other guys get some experience."

One was Bobby Simmons, who missed 10 of 13 shots and scored six points, 10 below his average, after matching a season high with 30 against the Hornets.

The Clippers, who've lost their last eight games against the Rockets, again dipped below .500 (12-13), the Rockets hitting them with an early 12-0 run to put them in a hole and then, after they rallied, burying them again.

Yao scored 11 of his 20 points in the first quarter and had 17 at halftime. Jackson made two three-point shots in the first half and three in the third quarter en route to 21 points. McGrady scored 12 of his 21 in the second half.

"We struggled with their size all night long," Dunleavy said. "The beginning of the game they got too deep against us with Yao in the paint. They hurt us in the first half big-time on the offensive boards."

And then after they got close, Jackson bombed them from the outside, hitting three-point shots at 7:07 of the third quarter and again at 6:57.

In a flash, the Rocket lead went from 52-49 to 58-49 and grew from there.

"It was real tough," Clipper guard Rick Brunson said. "When you're battling like that, it's like climbing up a mountain. You're making good strides … and then, boom, you fall back a couple steps. It's more mental than physical."