Clippers, Hawks meet at Staples Center

Both teams play their final game before the All-Star Game. The 2007 NBA All- Star will be played on February 18th at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.

LA, which returns home after going 2-5 on a seven-game road trip, plays the opener of a five-game homestand. On Monday, Chris Webber scored 19 points and pulled down nine rebounds as the Detroit Pistons defeated the Clippers, 92-74, at The Palace of Auburn Hills.

The Clippers played Detroit without forward Elton Brand, who missed his first game of the season due to back spasms. Brand, who leads the Clippers in scoring (20.7 ppg) and rebounding (9.2 rpg), is questionable for tonight’s contest.

Cuttino Mobley led the way with 17 points in the loss to the Pistons for Los Angeles, which has dropped two in a row and five of its last six games overall. Corey Maggette ended with 15 points and eight boards, while Chris Kaman collected 13 points and nine rebounds before fouling out.

The Clippers are a solid 17-8 as the host this season. They will also play Phoenix, Golden State, Charlotte and Seattle on the current homestand.

Atlanta plays the fourth contest of a five-game road trip. Mehmet Okur scored 19 points to lead the Utah Jazz to a 102-76 thumping of the Hawks at EnergySolutions Arena.

Marvin Williams ended with 15 points in the loss to the Jazz for Atlanta, which had a two-game winning streak haltedand fell to 2-1 on its road trip. Joe Johnson was held to just 14 points, as the Hawks lost to Utah for the ninth straight time.

The Hawks are 11-16 on the road this season. They will wrap up the road trip on February 20th against the Chicago Bulls at the United Center.

This is the second and final meeting of the campaign between the clubs. On January 6th, Johnson scored 27 points as the Hawks defeated the Clippers, 86-74, at Philips Arena.

Atlanta has lost three straight and six of its last seven at the LAC.