[0] LAKERS CLEAN HOUSE; CLIPPERS SHOULD SLEEP ON COUCH AFTER BLOWOUT : LAKERS 95, CLIPPERS 68.Byline: Howard Beck Staff Writer For everyone who's ever endured an unwelcome roommate, Tuesday night's scene at Staples Center This article has multiple issues: * Its neutrality is disputed. * It may contain original research or unverifiable claims. * It does not cite any references or sources. had to be rewarding. The Lakers finally met the rowdy young boys from down the hall - and promptly served them the NBA's version of an eviction notice eviction notice n → orden f de desahucio or desalojo (LAM) eviction notice n → préavis m . Then again, this might qualify more as a deportation. The Clippers might just consider fleeing the country to save further embarrassment after a record-setting 95-68 loss to their Staples Center co-tenants. This was the first meeting of the Lakers and Clippers in their shared home, and it pretty much made a mockery of any discussion about who's king of the castle. Shaquille O'Neal Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal (pronounced "shak-KEEL") (born March 6, 1972 in Newark, New Jersey), frequently referred to simply as Shaq, is an American professional basketball player, generally regarded as one of the most dominant in the National Basketball Association (NBA). brutalized Michael Olowokandi Michael Olowokandi (born April 3 1975 in Lagos, Nigeria), nicknamed The Kandi Man is a Nigerian professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association. He currently is a free agent. . Kobe Bryant Kobe Bean Bryant (born July 23 1978) is an American All-Star shooting guard in the National Basketball Association (NBA) who plays for the Los Angeles Lakers. showed up Lamar Odom Lamar Joseph Odom (born November 6 1979, in South Jamaica, Queens, New York) is an American professional basketball player who currently plays power forward (also plays both forward spots and is a "point-forward") for the National Basketball Association's Los Angeles Lakers. . And Maurice Taylor, presumably pre·sum·a·ble adj. That can be presumed or taken for granted; reasonable as a supposition: presumable causes of the disaster. the best power forward in town, barely showed up at all. All that talent, so little production. It left both teams a little bewildered. ``We played,'' said Taylor, ``like we didn't even know how to play basketball. It was a horrible performance by all of us. I've gotten to the point where I think I should be apologizing for the way I played.'' He has plenty of mea culpa company. The Clippers just missed setting an NBA NBA abbr. 1. National Basketball Association 2. National Boxing Association NBA (US) n abbr (= National Basketball Association) → Basketball-Dachverband (= record for ineptitude Ineptitude See also Awkwardness. Brown, Charlie meek hero unable to kick a football, fly a kite, or win a baseball game. [Comics: “Peanuts” in Horn, 543] Capt. Queeg incompetent commander of the minesweeper Caine. by scoring three points in the second quarter. Their 19-point first half lowered the bar for futility, setting a new NBA mark for fewest points since the advent of the shot clock. In other measures of the Clippers' misery, they set Lakers opponent records for fewest points in a game, worst field-goal percentage in a half (18.4 percent) and fewest field goals made in a half (seven). That included a 1-for-18 second quarter. ``No,'' Lakers forward Glen Rice said, ``I've never seen anything like that. And I'm sure we won't see that again from them. I think tonight was just an off night for that team. It's a team that's very talented, a team that's a dangerous team, and tonight they just didn't have it.'' It was hard to find a single area the Lakers didn't dominate as they cruised to a 49-19 halftime lead and snoozed through the rest of the night. O'Neal muscled his way to 21 points and 19 rebounds in an abbreviated 29-minute stint. Foul-troubled Olowokandi started slowly but finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Bryant and Odom didn't end up guarding each other, but Bryant still sent a clear message to those who contend the Clippers' young phenom is the best prospect in town. Odom struggled to contain the ill Rice, and wound up with more fouls (five) than points (two). And Rice, in bed with a 102-degree fever the past two days, played his best game in weeks, hitting 8 of 11 shots for 17 points. Bryant simply dazzled, scoring 11 straight points in a first-quarter run that established the rout. He finished with 18 points. Taylor never found his way. He hit 1 of 7 field goals and fouled out early in the fourth quarter with two points and two rebounds. ``I thought the Clippers pulled a Dr. Jekyll-and-Mr. Hyde on us from last night to tonight,'' Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. ``However much I misunderstand a team, I certainly misunderstood this team. We did some nice things out there defensively, and offensively I thought we played OK at times, but it wasn't a pretty game to watch.'' And a miserable game to play if you were wearing red. The Clippers' rough night included an early injury to forward Brian Skinner (high left-ankle sprain sprain, stretching or wrenching of the ligaments and tendons of a joint, often with rupture of the tissues but without dislocation. Sprains occur most commonly at the ankle, knee, or wrist joints, causing pain, swelling, and difficulty in moving the involved joint. ) that left the Clippers defenseless in the paint. Odom was already nursing a sore right hip, and Derek Anderson (left ankle sprain ankle sprain Orthopedics A stretching of the ankle ligaments and/or muscles with swelling ) didn't suit up. OFFENSIVE EFFORT The Clippers' 19 first-half points were the fewest in NBA history. Their three points in the second quarter were also a league record. Fewest points in a half 19 Clippers vs. Lakers, 1999 20 New Orleans at Seattle, 1975 21 Minn. vs Golden St., 1999 Indiana vs. San Antonio, 1998 Miami vs. Atlanta, 1996 Fewest points in second quarter 3 Clippers vs. Lakers, 1999 5 Utah at Lakers, 1981 New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of at Chicago, 1999 CAPTION(S): photo, box, chart PHOTO (color) The Lakers' Shaquille O'Neal had plenty of free time to hang around Tuesday night. He scored 21 points and grabbed 19 rebounds in his team's blowout of the Clippers at Staples Center. John Lazar/Staff Photographer BOX: Offensive effort (see text) CHART: Game recap |
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