BRAND A HORSE CLIPS CAN RIDE FORWARD SCORES 22 TO PACE L.A. CLIPPERS 89, CHARLOTTE 78.

Byline: Joe Stevens Staff Writer

Lamar Odom hails from Queens, N.Y., and is a self-proclaimed ``city guy.'' Yet the giddy-up imagery he used to describe Elton Brand sounded as if he were a cowboy.

``We're gonna get on his coattails and ride him, ride him, ride him around until he can't ride no more,'' Odom said.

The words were prompted by a typical scenario in the Clippers' 89-78 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday night before 16,098 at Staples Center. As with most of this season, Brand had game highs with 22 points and 19 rebounds.

Odom contributed but not necessarily with scoring. He shot 7 of 18 and had 14 points, five rebounds and seven assists.

``I'm not gonna worry about the offensive part of my game,'' Odom said. ``That's why I got Brand on my team.''

The Clippers led the entire second half and didn't let this one slip away to Charlotte. The Hornets pulled to within 82-76 with 2 minutes, 51 seconds left. But the Clippers stayed composed enough to hold on.

After Odom had a block and Baron Davis had a turnover, Brand made a 19-foot jump shot with 1:00 left to give the Clippers an 84-76 lead. After that, the Hornets repeatedly fouled. But it was over.

Odom's season has been erratic. On Sunday, though, he played a season- high 43 minutes and, at many points, looked as if he might have returned to the form of last season, when he led the team in scoring and rebounding.

``Lamar Odom is playing like we thought he could play all along,'' Clippers coach Alvin Gentry said. ``He's finally getting his legs back.''

Brand had a similar sentiment.

``Lamar has his game back,'' Brand said. ``He's getting his swagger back. We're still getting our roles figured out.''

Gentry said the keys to victory were coming up with much-needed defensive stops in the fourth quarter and containing Davis, who had 16 points and 10 assists. The former UCLA guard shot just 6 of 18. David Wesley led the Hornets with 18 points, but he shot just 6 of 16.

Other than the opening minutes, the Hornets never led.

Corey Maggette guarded Davis in the first quarter and scored 13 first-quarter points. Maggette finished with 15 but set the tone to hold down Davis.

``Baron's a great player and a good friend,'' Maggette said. ``I've known him since about ninth grade. He's a tough player. But I know if you're in a tough situation against him, you can put him on the line.''

Davis is shooting just 56.4 percent from the free-throw line this season and shot 1 of 6 from the line Sunday. But the Clippers had big enough leads not to force the issue of his free-throw shooting.

Charlotte (9-11) was yet another team from the Eastern Conference that tried not to let the Clippers (10-10) run their fast break. It worked.

The Clippers had a speedy first quarter and led 29-21 at the end of it. Charlotte then adapted to get the game into their slow pace.

``The first quarter was our own doing,'' Hornets coach Paul Silas said. ``But we settled down and made a game of it. Give them credit. They played hard and got the win.''

CLIPPERS vs. ORLANDO

Tipoff: 7:30 p.m., Staples Center.

TV/Radio: Fox Sports Net; 1150-AM, 1020-AM (Spanish).

Clippers (10-10) update: The Clippers play the second half of their first back-to-back games this season at Staples Center. They beat Charlotte 89-78 Sunday. Elton Brand had 22 points and 19 rebounds.

Orlando (11-10) update: The Magic are coming off a 107-104 loss at Atlanta on Saturday. Tracy McGrady had 40 points and 11 rebounds in the loss. McGrady averages 25.2 points, 7.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists.

- Joe Stevens

CAPTION(S):

photo, 2 boxes

Photo:

Elton Brand, center, surrounded by Charlotte Hornets as he goes up for a shot, had 22 points and 19 rebounds Sunday.

Edna T. Simpson/Staff Photographer

Box:

(1) CLIPPERS vs. ORLANDO (see text)

(2) GAME RECAP