CLIPPERS FIND CURE FOR BLUES IN JAZZ CLIPPERS 101, UTAH 90.

Byline: Rich Hammond  Staff Writer

When two teams in a free fall play each other, one is bound to receive at least a temporary boost.

That's not saying much, but the Clippers, devastated by injuries and a lack of strong fundamentals, will take what they can get these days. The Utah Jazz provided the perfect remedy Wednesday, as the Clippers rode a strong third quarter to a 101-90 victory in front of 17,481 at Staples Center.

The Clippers had lost seven of their past eight games, and the Jazz had lost five of six, so something had to give. And the Clippers found success with the inside play of Elton Brand (23 points, 10 rebounds) and the all-around games of Bobby Simmons (22 points, eight rebounds) and Corey Maggette (22 points).

``This win was very important,'' Simmons said. ``Our intensity was what won the game for us. We created opportunities on offense and we took advantage of them.

``Everybody got the ball in good position and we made plays for each other.''

Brand performed well against Utah's Carlos Boozer (23 points, eight rebounds), and the Clippers closed the second quarter with a 12-2 run that carried over into the third and turned into a 25-8 run that was never threatened.

The Clippers even got a boost from little-used center Zeljko Rebraca. Coach Mike Dunleavy, upset with his team's rebounding, turned to Rebraca early in the third quarter, and Rebraca responded by making three of five shots for 10 points and four rebounds in 19 second-half minutes.

``We weren't getting the job done, and he did a terrific job in the paint,'' Dunleavy said.

The Clippers have been decimated by injuries to point guards Marko Jaric and Shaun Livingston and ineffective play by its post players, with Brand being the notable exception.

But Simmons made the Jazz pay. He didn't start particularly well, but scored 10 of his points during the crucial third quarter.

``Bobby played extremely well,'' Dunleavy said. ``I played him a lot of minutes, because this was a game we couldn't flirt with in the second half. If you get Bobby some decent looks, he has a high-percentage chance to get them in the hole.''

In a tight first half, the Clippers seemed to play two different games: one with Brand on the court on the other without, when they struggled to grab rebounds and play a consistent inside game.

Too often, the Clippers worked hard on the defensive end, only to give the Jazz another chance or two on offensive rebounds. That's a major reason why the Clippers couldn't maintain much of a lead in the first half, even though they clearly were the more aggressive team, as evidenced by their 22 free throws.

It didn't help that the Clippers' de facto starting point guard, Rick Brunson, picked up two fouls in the first seven minutes and spent much of the first half on the bench. Neither team led by more than five points until the Jazz used a 10-4 run to open a 44-37 lead late in the second quarter.

However, the Clippers answered with 10 consecutive points and led 49-46 at halftime. The end of the first half turned contentious, as Simmons drew a technical foul for retaliating against Kirk Snyder in a loose-ball scrum, and two minutes later, Snyder committed a flagrant foul on Simmons.

Rich Hammond, [phone]

rich.hammond(at)dailynews.com

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Photo:

Clippers center Chris Kaman, right, blocks a shot by Utah's Carlos Arroyo during Wednesday night's game at Staples Center.

Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer

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