Clippers Find Only Team They Can Beat

Forward Rodney Rogers, who hates interviews, lets his game speak for itself.

Rogers had his second double-double of the season, getting 20 points and 12 rebounds as the Clippers ended a nine-game losing streak, holding off the Sacramento Kings, 99-97, Wednesday night before 8,467 at the Sports Arena.

The Clippers, who squandered a 22-point second-quarter lead, barely survived as the Kings missed two potential game-winning shots in the final six seconds.

“It’s better than being a turkey,” Clipper Coach Bill Fitch said. “For a while we started acting like we wanted to be the turkey.”

The Clipper lead was cut to 98-97 on Lawrence Funderburke’s dunk with 37 seconds remaining, but Mitch Richmond missed a three-point shot with six seconds left. Rogers, who made seven of nine shots, made a free throw with 4.1 seconds left for the final margin.

The Kings, the only team the Clippers have beaten this season, had one last chance, but the Clippers escaped.

Guard Brent Barry, who had 19 points and seven rebounds, made the defensive play of the game.

The Kings called a timeout to set up a play, but Barry fouled Richmond with 0.5 seconds left. Since the Clippers had a foul to give and referee Violet Palmer ruled Richmond wasn’t shooting, he didn’t get to the line.

“The foul was something we discussed in the timeout,” Barry said. “We said if we got in a situation where they were free and driving that we were going to use the foul. We did it and made them take the ball out of bounds. Anybody that had the ballhandler was going to foul.”

Richmond, who had 31 points, including 10 in the final quarter, took the ball out from in front of the press table and threw a lob pass to Billy Owens, who missed a fall-away baseline jumper as time expired.

“We jumped out on them in a hurry and I think we came out relaxed in the second half not thinking about the press,” said forward Lamond Murray, who had 18 points.

Clipper rookie forward Maurice Taylor, who had 12 points and four rebounds, probably rushed home to watch ESPN’s “SportsCenter” after the game to see his spectacular second-quarter dunk over Corliss Williamson.

Taylor, who was humming the theme from “SportsCenter” in the locker room, brought the crowd to life with his power dunk.

The Clippers then went to sleep in the third quarter.

Williamson had eight points as the Kings outscored the Clippers, 27-16, in the quarter to cut the Clipper lead to 74-67 going into the final quarter.

Center Stojko Vrankovic, who played only five minutes in the last two games, finally began to contribute.

Vrankovic had seven points and four rebounds in the second quarter as the Clippers built a 58-36 lead.

Vrankovic made both shots and had one blocked shot as the Clippers outscored the Kings, 29-19, to take a 58-40 halftime lead.

Center Lorenzen Wright, who had averaged 15 points, 6.5 rebounds and 41.5 minutes in his last two starts, got into foul trouble and missed three of four shots in 15 minutes in the first three quarters.

The Clippers had three players in double figures in the first half.

Barry, who made his first four shots, had 13 points and four rebounds, Rogers had 11 points and six rebounds and Murray had 10 points and five rebounds in the first half.