AN ALL-STAR EFFORT BRAND'S 44 POINTS LEAD CLIPPERS RALLY CLIPPERS 91, MEMPHIS 87.

Byline: Joe Stevens Staff Writer

Elton Brand has added a handful of All-Star attributes to his game this season, and he displayed them all Friday night.

Brand made jump shots, pounded inside for scores, ran the court and defended well on his way to tying a career-high with 44 points, just one day after being named a reserve to the Western Conference All-Star team.

With Brand's offensive dominance and the Clippers holding Memphis to four field goals in the fourth quarter, the Clippers won their 10th of 12 games with a 91-87 victory in front of 17,182 at Staples Center.

Brand went 17 of 26 (65 percent) from the field and 10 of 10 from the free-throw line. He added nine rebounds as the Clippers recovered from an 11-point deficit in the first half.

Brand also made a huge, 12-foot jump shot with 22.9 seconds left to give the Clippers an 89-85 lead to respond to a 3-pointer made by Memphis' Eddie Jones with 40.0 seconds to play.

Memphis' Pau Gasol added a dunk with 5.0 seconds left, and then Sam Cassell added two free throws with 4.1 seconds left for the 91-87 final score.

The Clippers trailed for the entire second half until Chris Kaman made a short hook shot with 3:19 to give the Clippers an 83-82 lead. After that, Brand scored inside and Kaman added two free throws to give the Clippers an 87-82 lead with 42.2 seconds left.

Earlier, the Clippers flirted with taking the lead when Chris Wilcox tried to complete a 3-point play with 7:19 left. But Wilcox missed the free throw, the Clippers' first free-throw miss after making their first 19.

Kaman finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds and was the only Clipper beside Brand in double figures. Cassell had a 2 for 12 shooting night and had six points and 11 assists.

Gasol, who became the first Grizzlies player to be named an All-Star earlier this week, finished with 16 points and nine rebounds.

The Grizzlies had five players in double figures and were also led by Shane Battier, who scored all 16 of his points in the first quarter.

The Clippers have played so well, returning from a six-game trip with a 4-2 showing, that they have adjusted their season-long goal to make the playoffs.

``We have 34 games left to get home-court advantage,'' Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy said. ``We have 34 games left to catch Phoenix. Right now, our goal shouldn't be to make the playoffs. Right now, our goal should be to get home-court advantage.''

Dunleavy said that before the Clippers met the Grizzlies, and after those words, his team did not come out with much pizazz. Memphis led 54-45 at halftime and led by as many as 11 points in the first half.

Battier blasted the Clippers for 16 points in the first quarter, and reserve Bobby Jackson had 11 points in the second quarter to hurt the Clippers.

But what hurt more in the first half was Memphis' 3-point shooting. The Grizzlies were 5 of 11 (45.5 percent) from 3-point range, while the Clippers did not make a 3-pointer.

The disparity in turnovers also hurt the Clippers, who had nine first-half turnovers to the Grizzlies' two.

--Clippers notes: Zeljko Rebraca, who is recovering from surgery to correct an irregular heartbeat, continues to practice with the team, but has not been cleared to play in games. He said he expects to be in games after the All-Star break. ... Dunleavy coached in his 1000th game and has a record of 493-507 (.493) in 13 years of coaching. ``It's good to be around that long,'' he said. ``I hope I'm around for another thousand games.''

Joe Stevens, [phone]

joe.stevens(at)presstelegram.com

CAPTION(S):

2 photos, box

Photo:

(1) Elton Brand gets off a shot against Memphis' Lorenzen Wright. Brand finished with 44 points.

(2 -- ran in Final edition only) Chris Wilcox slams over Memphis' Pau Gasol in the Clippers' win Friday.

Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer

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