NBA Game Summary - Portland at LA Clippers

03.22.2005

Los Angeles, CA (Basketball News) - Corey Maggette and Elton Brand each scored 22 points as the Los Angeles Clippers topped Portland, 96-89, at the Staples Center.

Bobby Simmons added 15 points and Chris Kaman had 10 along eight 10 rebounds to help the Clippers halt a two-game slide.

Shareef Abdur-Rahim posted game-highs of 23 points and 14 rebounds for the Trail Blazers, who suffered their fifth straight loss and 11th defeat in 12 games. Darius Miles finished with 20 points and Joel Przybilla snared 12 boards in defeat.

The Clippers shot 62 percent from the field in the first quarter and began to assert control over the final 2 1/2 minutes of the period. After Maggette’s dunk gave Los Angeles a 24-21 edge, Quinton Ross hit a running jumper and Kaman made a short hook for a seven-point bulge by the end of the opening 12 minutes.

Portland climbed back via an 11-4 run capped by Damon Stoudamire’s three- pointer which tied the score at 41-41 with 3:27 remaining before intermission. The Clippers countered with a 9-1 spurt and went up 50-42 on Brand’s jumper with just over a minute left in the half.

Theo Ratliff’s bucket with 19 seconds on the clock brought the Trail Blazers to within 52-46 at the break.

Portland would get even closer in the early stages of the second half thanks to Miles, who scored the team’s first seven points and cut the Blazers’ deficit to 56-53 with a jumper at the 8:34 mark of the third quarter.

Simmons then drained a three-pointer on the other end to spark 13-3 spurt as Los Angeles began to pull away. Brand’s basket with four minutes to go in the third period gave the hosts a comfortable 69-56 advantage.

The Clippers led by as many as 16 points in the third quarter before Portland made a mild rally. Stoudamire’s triple highlighted a 6-0 run which got the Blazers within 79-72 with under 10 minutes left. However, Los Angeles would respond with six straight points of their own and built a 13-point cushion after Ross’ driving dunk with 8:11 remaining.

Portland would make one final surge and trimmed the lead to 92-87 after Miles’ layup with 50 seconds to go. It remained a five-point game with under 30 seconds left, but Stoudamire misfired on a long-distance attempt and LA’s Marko Jaric preserved the win by hitting two foul shots to account for the final score.

Los Angeles recorded a season-high 13 blocks, including six by Brand...Portland fell to 1-9 under interim coach Kevin Pritchard, who took over after Maurice Cheeks was let go on March 2...Jaric, who had missed the last three games with a hip pointer, had seven points and six assists in 24 minutes...The Blazers fell to 13-35 when scoring under 100 points...The home team has now won the last 10 meetings in the series.

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