NBA Game Summary - Orlando at LA Clippers

Los Angeles, CA (Basketball News) - Corey Maggette had 31 points and eight assists while Elton Brand and Chris Kaman each posted double-doubles as the Los Angeles Clippers downed struggling Orlando, 110-102, at Staples Center.

Kaman compiled 16 points and 11 rebounds and Brand amassed 13 points and 12 boards to help the Clippers to their second straight triumph. Bobby Simmons chipped in 16 points towards the win.

Dwight Howard scored a career-high 29 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for the Magic, who fell for the sixth consecutive time. Fellow rookie Jameer Nelson tied a personal-best with 22 points, while Grant Hill added 19 in defeat. Steve Francis finished with 15 points and 10 assists for Orlando.

The Clippers trailed 17-12 midway through the first quarter before scoring eight straight points to forge ahead. Maggette’s driving layup with 4:58 left in the period gave Los Angeles an 18-17 edge and Kaman hit a short jumper on the next possession to extend the margin to three.

A 7-2 run extended the Clippers’ advantage to 35-26 early in the second quarter and the lead reached double digits after Lionel Chalmers’ three-point play with 6:39 remaining before intermission made the score 44-34.

The Magic would close the gap behind Nelson, who scored Orlando’s final eight points of the half and finished with 15 in the first 24 minutes. After his jumper with 1:46 left brought Orlando within 53-50, he hit two foul shots to make it a one-point game.

Maggette answered with a three-pointer on the other end to put Los Angeles up 56-52 and the Clippers eventually carried a 58-54 lead at the break.

"Corey was good," said Los Angeles head coach Mike Dunleavy. "He came up with some big shots and some key stops."

Orlando failed to make up ground in the third quarter, as Los Angeles outscored the Magic 29-17 in the frame to build a comfortable 87-71 advantage. The Clippers began to pull away via a 10-2 spurt capped by Kaman’s layup and foul shot at the 3:29 mark which put the hosts up 77-64.

The lead ballooned to 95-73 with 8 1/2 minutes remaining before Orlando threatened with a strong late surge. Howard netted nine points in under two minutes to highlight a 20-3 run ending when Francis completed a three-point play which pulled the Magic within 98-93 with 2:58 left.

"We missed some shots, got careless, and it was a tight game again," Dunleavy remarked.

That was as close as Orlando would get, however. Rick Brunson’s three-pointer with a minute to go sent Los Angeles ahead by a 107-97 count and Maggette sealed the win seconds later with an authoritative fastbreak dunk.