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Friday, Dec. 17 10:30pm ET
Odom caps Clippers' comeback win | |||||
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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Chris Mills' temper got the better of him, allowing the Los Angeles Clippers to get the better of the Golden State Warriors. Lamar Odom's eight-foot running jumper with 11.9 seconds remaining capped a 23-point effort by the rookie Friday night, as the Clippers rallied from a seven-point deficit in the final 1:21 with the help of Mills' ejection and beat the Warriors 92-91. "Christmas came early for us tonight," Clippers coach Chris Ford said. "It was a tough game and both teams were undermanned. We were fortunate to come out of it with a win." Playing without shooting guard Derek Anderson and Brian Skinner because of sprained ankles, the Clippers fell behind 91-84 on John Starks' 3-pointer with 1:21 left. But the game turned when Mills fouled Odom with 1:11 left and was ejected by referee Jim Clark for arguing the call. "If Chris had it to do over again, I'm sure he'll tell you he would have kept those two techs," Starks said. "In this game, you've got to keep your composure and talk to the refs after the game. This was a very winnable ballgame." Troy Hudson, who finished with 20 points, converted both free throws after the double-technical. Then Odom sank both of his foul shots, narrowing the gap to 91-88. Starks' turnover led to a slam-dunk by Tyrone Nesby, as the Clippers closed to 91-90 with 51.7 seconds to play. "It helped to get those technicals," Hudson said. "After that, we knew we had the win." Warriors rookie Vonteego Cummings missed a 17-footer from the top of the key and Odom sent the Staples Center crowd of 11,217 into a frenzy with his go-ahead basket off the glass. "I stayed positive and the shots that counted went in," Odom said. When the game was on the line and a play had to be made by someone, I just felt like I had to make the play." On Golden State's final possession, Michael Olowokandi blocked Cummings' pass toward the key and the Warriors couldn't get a shot off as the buzzer sounded. Reserve forward Tony Farmer tied a career high with 19 points, nine of them in the fourth quarter, and Starks added 18 for the injury-depleted Warriors. With Mookie Blaylock, Terry Cummings, Antawn Jamison and Adonal Foyle all missing the game because of injuries, Golden State coach P.J. Carlesimo was forced to use his 12th different starting lineup. The lead changed hands four times early in the fourth quarter before Donyell Marshall's 3-pointer gave the Warriors a 77-75 lead with 7:56 remaining. The Clippers tied it at 78 on a 3-pointer by Hudson, before the Warriors responded with six consecutive points. Cummings hit a 12-footer, Farmer converted a layup after Nesby blew an alley-oop feed from Odom, and Bill Curley canned a 17-footer for an 84-78 lead with 3:57 to play. The Warriors opened the second half with a 14-4 run, turning a 47-42 deficit into a 56-51 lead with 7:50 left in the third quarter. But Charles Jones made a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 18 seconds left in the third quarter and Odom's added a free throw to give Los Angeles a 70-66 edge heading into the fourth. The Clippers, who set an NBA futility record in their previous game with only 19 points in the first half of Tuesday night's loss to the Lakers, led 25-24 after one quarter with the help of a 13-1 spurt. "It was imperative that we got this win, especially after our last game," Odom said. Game notesOdom also had 13 rebounds and seven assists. ... The Warriors placed Blaylock and Cummings on the injured list, activated center Tim Young and signed guard Drew Barry to a free agent contract. Cummings strained his left groin Thursday night against Detroit and Blaylock strained his left calf Tuesday night against Miami. ... Nine-year veteran forward Marty Conlon signed a free agent contract with the Clippers Friday. He began the season with Boston, but didn't see any playing time because of a sprained toe and was waived on Monday. ... Jamison missed his third consecutive game because of a strained hip flexor and Foyle stayed back in Oakland with a strained right foot. ... Jamison, who starred at North Carolina, will attend commencement ceremonies on Saturday at Chapel Hill and pick up his degree, after finishing his curriculum during the summer. | ALSO SEE NBA Scoreboard Golden State Clubhouse LA Clippers Clubhouse RECAPS Indiana 89 Utah 74
LA Clippers 92
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