Inside the Clippers

Clippers beat Denver 106-99

2009-11-21T06:54:50Z

The Clippers held on the lead for the second half - despite a couple of Nugget rallies, spearheaded by Carmelo Anthony - and won 106-99 at Staples Center.
Rasual Butler finished the game with 27 points while Al Thornton added 18, Chris Kaman 13 and Baron Davis had 12, after a slow start.
Anthony lead all scorers with 37 points, shooting 12 of 20 from the field and 12 of 13 from the free throw line. Nene added 18 points, Kenyon Martin 14 and Ty Lawson tossed in 12 for the Nuggets, who fall to 8-4.
The Clippers improve to 5-9, still without #1 pick Blake Griffin and Eric Gordon, both who are out due to injury.

Clippers/Denver Update

2009-11-21T06:01:50Z

With 5:49 left in the game, the Nuggets - behind Carmelo Anthony - have erased the Clipper lead and are now only behind 95-90.

Anthony just hit two free throws for the Nuggets and now has 35 points. Nene and Ty Lawson have combined for 30 more for Denver.

Baron Davis is starting to hit bombs from outside now too. Just hit one from far behind the arc - from a pass from Chris Kaman.

Clippers/Denver halftime

2009-11-21T04:50:24Z

The Clippers maintained their second quarter rally and took a 56-46 advantage into halftime.

Los Angeles outscored the Nuggets 35-20 in the second quarter.

The Clippers defense has shut down the Nuggets's Chauncey Billups - who only has four points so far, although Carmelo Anthony has 21.

L.A. has nine players who have scored so far, with Rasual Butler still leading the team with 16. DeAndre Jordan has shot 4-for-5 with eight points and several players have six or more, including Al Thornton (with 7), Sebastian Telfair (6) and Craig Smith (8).

Announcers Lawler, Smith suspended for game

2009-11-21T04:44:53Z

LOS ANGELES (AP)-- Clippers longtime play-by-play announcer Ralph Lawler and color analyst Michael Smith were suspended one game by the Fox Sports Prime Ticket cable network for their comments about Memphis center Hamed Haddadi.
Lawler and Smith made their off-the-cuff comments about the Iranian-born center during
Wednesday night's telecast from Memphis. The on-air banter offended a viewer who called Fox to complain.
The duo did not work Friday's night telecast against the Denver Nuggets at Staples
Center. Michael Eaves and Don MacLean, who regularly serve as halftime and postgame
analysts on the Clippers telecasts, substituted for Lawler and Smith at courtside.
Lawler is in his 31st season doing Clippers games, and Smith is in his 12th.

Clippers vs. Denver update - first half

2009-11-21T04:25:51Z

After being down at one point 14-2 and being behind 26-21 at the end of the first quarter, the Clippers are leading 41-33 with 5:46 left in the first half.

Rasual Butler is leading the charge with 11 points. Baron Davis hasn't scored yet, but has six assists

Clippers right the ship

2009-11-16T20:42:08Z

Baron Davis scored 24 and Chris Kaman got 25 - and a black eye - as the Clippers downed Oklahoma City Sunday 101-93.

Unlike their previous game, the Clips withstood a Thunder rally and hung on for the win. Kaman battled hard down low and took an accidental shot in the face from Jeff Green for the shiner.

Kevin Durant had 40 points for Oklahoma City in the game - which had 25 lead changes and 18 ties.

Clippers now improve to 4-7 on the season.

Clippers right the ship

2009-11-16T20:42:08Z

Baron Davis scored 24 and Chris Kaman got 25 - and a black eye - as the Clippers downed Oklahoma City Sunday 101-93.

Unlike their previous game, the Clips withstood a Thunder rally and hung on for the win. Kaman battled hard down low and took an accidental shot in the face from Jeff Green for the shiner.

Kevin Durant had 40 points for Oklahoma City in the game - which had 25 lead changes and 18 ties.

Clippers now improve to 4-7 on the season.

Clippers let one slip away

2009-11-14T07:55:51Z

After leading 34-17 at the end of the first quarter and by 22 points in the second, the Clippers let it slip away from them and Toronto won at Staples Center 104-89.

The Raptors capped their comeback in the fourth quarter - punctuated by a 16-0 run and four three-pointers to end the game.

Chris Bosh had 21 points and 14 rebounds to lead the Raptors, who started a four-game road trip in Los Angeles. Andrea Bargnani added 19 and Jose Calderon 18 for Toronto (5-4).

Chris Kaman had 25 points for the Clippers while Baron Davis added 17 and Al Thornton had 12. Steve Novak was the other Clipper who scored in double figures, with 10 points off the bench.

The Clippers are awaiting the return of Blake Griffin, who hasn't played in the regular season due to an injured knee. The date of his return is undetermined at this time.

Sterling to pay $2.73 million in housing discrimination case

2009-11-03T23:32:26Z

LOS ANGELES (AP)-- Los Angeles Clippers owner and real estate mogul Donald Sterling
has agreed to pay a record $2.73 million to settle allegations by the government that he
refused to rent apartments to Hispanics, blacks and to families with children, the Justice
Department announced Tuesday.
The Justice Department sued Sterling in August 2006 for allegations of housing
discrimination in the Koreatown area of Los Angeles. Other defendants were Sterling's wife,
Rochelle, and the Sterling Family Trust.
The defendants allegedly made statements to employees indicating that African-Americans and
Hispanics were not desirable tenants.
Court filings indicated that Sterling rented to fewer blacks and Hispanics in Koreatown
than would be expected based on demographics, according to the Justice Department.
In settling the lawsuit, however, the defendants denied any liability.
Robert Platt, an attorney for Sterling and the trust, issued a statement saying his clients
denied any acts of discrimination.
"The fair housing attorneys could not identify a single individual who was wrongfully
denied the right to rent an apartment," he said. The trust has a zero-tolerance policy
regarding housing discrimination, he said.
However, insurers for the trust decided it was cheaper to settle the case than to keep
fighting, Platt said. Those insurers will cover the settlement.
Sterling owns the NBA's Clippers and manages 119 apartment buildings with more than 5,000
apartment units in Los Angeles County.
"Housing is a basic human need, and yet decades after passage of the Fair Housing Act, far
too many still encounter barriers like discrimination," said Thomas Perez, assistant
attorney general for the civil rights division.
"The magnitude of this settlement should send a message to all landlords that we will
vigorously pursue violations of the Fair Housing Act," he said.
The settlement, which will be considered by a Los Angeles federal judge, also covers two
related lawsuits by former tenants at one of the Sterling properties. In those cases, a
black family and an interracial family with children contended that private yards that had
been part of their apartment were demolished because of their race, the Justice Department
said.
Under the settlement, Sterling and the other defendants would pay a $100,000 civil penalty
to the government and would pay $2.63 million into a fund to pay monetary damages to
tenants who were harmed.
The Justice Department's previous record settlement for discrimination in the area of
rental housing was $2.2 million in a 1996 case.
Four years ago, Sterling agreed to pay an undisclosed sum and nearly $5 million in attorney
fees to settle an unrelated 2003 lawsuit that claimed he tried to drive non-Korean tenants
out of apartments he bought in Koreatown. The lawsuit was brought by the nonprofit Housing
Rights Center and 18 other plaintiffs.
That ruling came two weeks after a jury found in Sterling's favor in a lawsuit filed by a
former property manager, Sumner Davenport, who claimed he sexually harassed her. Davenport
also alleged that Sterling's companies had racially prejudiced employment and housing
practices.

Get Clippers tickets ... CHEAP!

2009-11-03T23:21:45Z

From the Travelzoo Newsdesk:

LOS ANGELES--NOVEMBER 3, 2009-- The Los Angeles Clippers
just slashed ticket prices to their next four home games by
up to 75%. Tickets start at $10 and there are no convenience
fees.

See the Clippers at the Staples Center against:
- Memphis Grizzlies ... Saturday, Nov. 7
- New Orleans Hornets ... Monday, Nov. 9
- Oklahoma City Thunder... Wednesday, Nov. 11
- Toronto Raptors ... Friday, Nov. 13

Available ticket levels include:
- Upper Concourse ... $10 (reg. $35-$45)
- 200 Level ... $20-$30 (reg. $60)
- 100 Level Corner ... $55-$65 (reg. $100)

For more information and to buy tickets, go to travelzoo.com. Use
Special offer code CLIPPERS when prompted to verify.
http://www.travelzoo.com/Newsflash.ashx?683903-64031862

Dunleavy after the game

2009-10-28T06:18:04Z

Here's what coach Mike Dunleavy had to say after the Clippers 99-92 loss to the Lakers Tuesday night:

``We're not looking for any moral victories, I'm glad our guys played hard all the way through. There were some times during the game where they could have folded and could have left it right open. Instead we kept coming back and making some plays.''

On playing the Lakers:

``Taking them on any night is a tough challenge. They put a lot of pressure on you.''

On Blake Griffin's injury:

``He didn't die. He'll be back in six weeks. He's in the locker room, we saw him, we put our arms around him, we hugged and we kissed him and he's going to be back.

``The kid's going to be fine. Yeah, we're disappointed he's out, but it is what it is.''

No. 1 pick Griffin out up to six weeks

2009-10-27T05:18:00Z

Rookie forward Blake Griffin might miss up to six weeks with a stress fracture of his left patella suffered during the Clippers last preseason game vs. New Orleans last Friday.

Team officials will have more comment Tuesday. Further information regarding Griffin's course of treatment will be made available later, the team said.

John Lucas joins Clippers coaching staff

2009-09-19T01:58:22Z

By The Associated Press
LOS ANGELES -- Former NBA coach and player John Lucas is joining the Clippers as an assistant.
The team said Friday that Lucas will join Tony Brown, Kim Hughes and Fred Vinson on
coach and general manager Mike Dunleavy's staff.
Lucas was head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2001-03, where he coached
current Clippers Ricky Davis and Brian Skinner. Before that, Lucas was an assistant
with the Denver Nuggets for three seasons.
Lucas' other head coaching jobs were in Philadelphia from 1994-96 and San Antonio
from 1992-94. He had a 173-258 record in six years of coaching.
Lucas played for six different teams during his 14-year NBA career. He averaged 10.7
points and 7.0 assists in 928 career games.

Clips waive Madsen

2009-08-22T00:09:50Z

From The Associated Press ...

The Clippers have waived forward Mark Madsen, a former Laker.
Madsen was acquired from the Minnesota Timberwolves on July 22 along with Sebastian Telfair and Craig Smith in exchange for Quentin Richardson.
The Clippers' roster currently stands at 12 players.

Mike Taylor waived

2009-07-31T22:33:32Z

The Clippers announced today that they have waived point guard Mike Taylor.
Boy, did Taylor's performance in Las Vegas hurt him, as the 23-year-old was being looked at by the front office as a possible primary backup to Baron Davis, where he would've likely gotten major burn this season.
Then Taylor posted horrendous stats in five summer league games and the Clippers moved to get Sebastian Telfair from Minnesota, making Taylor the No. 3 point.
This move will probably lead to speculation that Ramon Sessions will receive an offer from the Clips, as has been rumored today, and it certainly could, but it's not a major indicator just yet.
Taylor was a high-risk, high-reward type of guy, and the Clippers decided the risk wasn't worth the reward anymore, and waived his non-guaranteed contract.

The Clippers roster as it stands today:

PG: Baron Davis/Sebastian Telfair
SG: Eric Gordon/Ricky Davis/Mardy Collins (could also play the 1 or 3)
SF: Al Thornton/Steve Novak (who has not signed his QO but can be expected to)
PF: Blake Griffin/Craig Smith/Mark Madsen
C: Chris Kaman/Marcus Camby/DeAndre Jordan

That's 13 guys, which, given Mike Dunleavy's penchant for carrying only 14, leaves one roster spot open. Of course, it's possible that both Novak and Madsen won't break camp with the team.
Where are the weak spots on that team? Well, it's certainly in need of a third-string point, but Collins can fill that position in a pinch. Other than that, with only Ricky Davis coming off the bench to fill the swingman 2/3 spot, I'd say that's a need as well.