Clippers are no fluke

Two teams that are off to excellent starts in the new season square off tonight, as the red-hot Clippers visit the Utah Jazz on Tuesday at the Delta Center. The Clippers won two of three from the Jazz last season. The Clippers have lost six straight and 32 of their last 33 at Utah.

The Clippers try to win their sixth straight game Tuesday. All-Star Elton Brand finished with 22 points and 10 rebounds to pace the Clippers past the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets, 92-76, at the Staples Center.

Corey Maggette scored 14 points off the bench and veteran Sam Cassell netted 13 for Los Angeles, which has won five straight since its opening-night loss at Phoenix.

LA is 0-1 on the road this season. The Clippers are scheduled to host Allen Iverson and the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday. Last season, the clubs split a pair of contests. The Sixers have dropped three in a row on the road against the Clippers.

Cassell leads the Clippers in scoring (20.8 ppg) and assists (5.3 apg), while Brand, who is averaging 15.7 points per game, has pulled down a team-best 9.2 rebounds per contest.