CASSELL: FROM GOAT TO HERO CLIPS GUARD MAKES WINNING FTS CLIPPERS 96, DENVER 95.

Byline: JOE STEVENS Staff writer

The Clippers might not want to try to gauge how their season is going to end up based on two games.

The early results might only frustrate them or make them wonder if last year's success was an aberration. But then again, it's been only two games.

In Thursday night's home opener, Denver star Carmelo Anthony again got frustrated and was ejected in the third quarter, and the Clippers parlayed that into a 96-95 victory at Staples Center.

Sam Cassell, who had a game-high 35 points, made two free throws with 12 seconds left for the winning margin. Cassell also had six rebounds and six assists.

Seconds earlier, Cassell lost the ball in the backcourt to J.R. Smith, whose dunk gave the Nuggets a 95-94 lead with 36 seconds remaining.Denver had its biggest lead, 80-70, with 7:35 left when Marcus Camby made a jump shot.

But the Clippers did not roll over and clawed back to trail by just two points, 88-86, with 2:38 left, when new addition Tim Thomas made a 3-pointer.

Denver wasn't helped by Anthony's ejection with 8:22 left in the third quarter. Anthony had just picked up a fourth personal foul and as he walked to the bench, took off his headband and threw it to the sideline. Apparently, in the NBA's crackdown on on-court misbehavior by calling technical fouls, that warranted his second technical of the night and, thus, an automatic ejection.

Quinton Ross' defense appeared to frustrate Anthony, who was also was ejected in a regular-season game against the Clippers last season on April 4, when he punched a ball more than 20 rows into the crowd.

Obviously, the Clippers still have a lot to figure out about themselves. Similar to stretches of their opener, they had stretches in which they had a hard time getting the ball to Brand.

Brand had just four shots and four points in the first half, but Cassell helped make up for that by scoring 17 first-half points to help the Clippers to a 49-48 halftime lead. Thomas also helped make up for Brand's low production with 10 points in the half as did Corey Maggette, who had 10 points on just two field goals and six free throws.

Where Shaun Livingston will be 80 games from now is something else the Clippers would like to know. They are hoping he has a breakthrough season, but was erratic on Thursday. He made a few flashy, highlight-reel type of plays, but had four turnovers in the first quarter alone and didn't score in only 15 minutes of playing time.

Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy considers this season a "work in progress," in which his team needs to return to being the defensive menace it was last season. That work-of-progress theory was apparent as soon as the first quarter, when the Clippers used 11 of their 12 available players.

Foul trouble to Cassell and Livingston contributed to that unusual substitution pattern, but it also showed that a lot of the Clippers' individuals are playing inconsistently.

"We're not where we need to be," Dunleavy said. "We're behind, based on some of our guys who had injuries in training camp. Lots of teams go through it. It happens at different times throughout the season. We're trying to have our guys get their legs back and play through it."

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2 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) The Clippers' Paul Davis, left, and Daniel Ewing steal the ball from Denver's Nene in Thursday's game at Staples Center.

(2) The Clippers' Corey Maggette, left, fouls Denver's Linas Kleiza late in the first half of Thursday's game.

John McCoy/Staff Photographer