Rooting for the Clippers

Lamar Odom used to play for the Clippers, so it's a little strange for him to be rooting for his old team to beat the Dallas Mavericks tonight at Staples Center. But there's a lot at stake for the Lakers, who were hoping for a Clippers upset. The second-place Lakers led the third-place Mavericks by one game in the Western Conference standings as this was written this afternoon. A loss for Dallas would make it 1 1/2 games going into Thursday's matchup between the Lakers and the Mavericks. A win for the Mavericks would cut it to a half-game. Said Odom: "Hopefully, the Clippers get to beat them up a little bit. Hopefully, the game goes two or three overtimes, a couple of guys foul out, get nicked up."