`INSIDE-OUT' WORKS FOR CLIPPERS BRAND, CASSELL SPARK VICTORY.

Byline: JOE STEVENS Staff Writer

Sam Cassell has been preaching that the Clippers have to go ``inside- out.''

What Cassell means is the Clippers must focus on getting the ball inside to Elton Brand, which will open up the rest of the Clippers' offense, much like last season.

On Saturday afternoon, that strategy worked superbly, with the Clippers getting a big game from Brand en route to a 112-91 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies at Staples Center.

Although the victory was against the team with the worst record in the NBA and the worst away from home -- the Grizzlies fell to 2-18 on the road -- the Clippers were upbeat afterward.

``We played with a vengeance,'' Cassell said. ``We played with that will and passion that we had last year. And that's how you win basketball games that easy. ... We're not done yet. This team has underachieved right now, and everyone in this locker room understands that.''

Brand finished with a season-high 34 points. He had 24 points in the first half, when the Clippers built a 63-40 halftime lead.

Memphis never came closer than 12 points in the second half, but coach Mike Dunleavy did not take out Brand and Cassell for good until 1:16 left.

Memphis guarded Brand one-on-one in the first half, but scrapped that plan in the second half.

``We learned a great lesson,'' Memphis coach Tony Barone said. ``Elton and Sam are real tremendous basketball players. They will find ways to tear you apart, no matter what you try to do in terms of defense. They just dissect you. If you make a little mistake, they take advantage of it.''

Brand gave much of the credit for his success to Cassell.

``Sam did a masterful job at the point guard, getting me easy looks,'' he said. ``Corey Maggette, when I was punching it in, found me for easy looks. But in the second half, it's going to happen. They're going to say, `OK, this guy has 24 points.' Then the double-teams, the zone, triple-teams came, and they made someone else score.''

Cassell in particular was the ``out'' part of the inside-out equation. He finished with 21 points and a season-high 14 assists, and gave credit to Brand.

``The easy part is passing him the ball,'' Cassell said of Brand. ``He has to do the hard part, making the shot. I don't care how well any guard in this league passes the ball, guys have to make shots.''

Others also played well for the Clippers. Chris Kaman, who has been struggling with a sprained ankle, played 24 minutes, but had 12 points and nine rebounds.

The Clippers are two games under .500, but are just two games away from the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

``We have to pile up some victories and get back in this playoff hunt because, luckily for us, and I stress `luckily,' these other teams didn't put much separation between us,'' Brand said.

Note: The Clippers signed former Toronto Raptors guard Alvin Williams to a 10-day contract, the team announced. Williams missed the 2004-05 season while recovering from knee surgery and was released by the Raptors last July.

joe.stevens(at)presstelegram.com.

[phone]

CAPTION(S):

photo

Photo:

Elton Brand had a season-high 34 points in leading the Clippers to a victory over Memphis.

Matt Sayles/Associated Press