Brand stars as Clippers down Hornets

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

Chris Paul had a team-best 20 points but turned the ball over six times for the Hornets, who have dropped three in a row. Bobby Jackson added 12 points in defeat.

"It’s hard for me to take when we have good players and they layed an egg out there," said Hornets head coach Byron Scott.

The Clippers went up by 13 early in the third quarter following a three- pointer by Cuttino Mobley, but the Hornets responded with a 15-6 burst to cut the deficit to 64-60. L.A. was outscored 22-15 in the frame and owned just a 68-64 edge heading into the final 12 minutes.

Peja Stojakovic started the fourth with a jumper to move his team within two, but the Clippers lashed back with eight straight points to build a cushion. Mobley scored on a driving layup to ignite the burst, which was capped by a Cassell turnaround jumper with 7:05 to play.

The home team pulled away from there, using another 8-0 charge in the closing minutes to build an 88-71 lead.

"We had a good fourth quarter," said Clippers head coach Mike Dunleavy. "We knew they’d come back at us. We dodged some bullets and made some big shots in the fourth."

The Clippers used a 6-0 burst in the latter stages of the first quarter to break a tie and assume a 14-8 edge, and finished the stanza up 22-16.

Los Angeles continued to play front runner in the second quarter, extending its advantage to 53-42 by halftime. Brand led all scorers at the break with 14 points, and Tim Thomas added 12 off the bench.

Game Notes

L.A. has beaten the Hornets five straight times at home. The Hornets’ most recent road win over the Clippers was a 111-108 decision on March 3, 2003. ..The Clippers went 5-0 on their homestand...Mobley finished with 11 points.