Associated Press
LOS ANGELES – Quentin Richardson scored 23 points, and Elton Brand had 18 points and 10 rebounds Wednesday night as the Los Angeles Clippers took command early in a 114-94 victory over the Seattle SuperSonics.
The win was the third straight and fifth in six games for the Clippers (13-11), who are over .500 later than at any time in a season since March 5, 1993.
Jeff McInnis had 19 points and six assists; Corey Maggette added 17 points, and Lamar Odom had 15 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists for the Clippers.
Seattle, which played with just 11 players on its active roster, was led by Brent Barry’s 18 points. Vin Baker added 15 points and Gary Payton had 14 points and seven assists.
Before Wednesday’s game, 6-foot-11 center Calvin Booth, was placed on the injured list with a sprained right ankle. Booth is averaging 6.2 points and 3.6 rebounds in 15 games. He was replaced by Antonio Harvey in the starting lineup in the Sonics’ game against the Clippers.
The Sonics lost for the seventh time in nine games, but were coming off a 104-93 victory over the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night. This game was totally opposite from that victory by Seattle.
The Clippers, who led all the way, got four points each from Maggette, Odom and McInnis in a 12-0 run that made it 19-5 after 6 1/2 minutes of play, and it was 70-45 at halftime.
Seattle, 0-8 in the second half of back-to-back games this season, was 14-1 against the Clippers during the last four years, and 34-4 against them in the last nine seasons.
In addition, the Sonics had won their last seven games against the Clippers in Los Angeles, and were 8-1 at Staples Center since it opened in October 1999 – 4-0 against the Clippers, and 4-1 against the Lakers.
Odom had nine points and five assists and Maggette also had nine points in the first period, which ended with the Clippers leading 33-21 thanks mainly to a 15-of-23 shooting performance.
The Clippers didn’t cool in the second quarter, going 14-of-24 while increasing their lead to 25 points. The 70 points were the most they’ve scored in a half this season, and their 114 points were also a season-high.
The Clippers led by as many as 28 points in the third quarter before settling for a 92-67 lead entering the final period.
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