CLIPPERS LET SLEEPING GRIZZLIES LIE BRAND SCORES 30 POINTS; L.A. EXTENDS MEMPHIS' ROAD WOES CLIPPERS 103, MEMPHIS 95.

Byline: Joe Stevens Staff Writer

Alvin Gentry's coaching career with the Clippers didn't hang in the balance, according to Clippers brass. But regardless, a six-game losing streak loomed, and the Clippers were fortunate to meet a shaky road team in the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night at Staples Center.

The victory wasn't exactly an ESPN ``Instant Classic.'' Michael Olowokandi frequently was booed by the hometown crowd.

But at least the Clippers managed a 103-95 victory in front of 14,842 as Elton Brand scored a season-high 30 points and had seven rebounds.

Olowokandi scored just six points, but the Clippers' other starters picked him up: Lamar Odom had 23 points, Andre Miller had 19 points and 14 assists, and Corey Maggette added 16 points.

The starting five was so key for the Clippers, their bench players combined to score just nine points. Another big key was the season-low seven turnovers.

The Clippers (13-22) certainly didn't make things easy on themselves. As usual, they had a big lead and lost it.

This time, they had a 62-47 lead with 9:34 left in the third quarter. That's when Memphis went on a long 27-9 run to go up 74-71 with 1:09 left in the third.

The Grizzlies capped the run with an 8-0 finish, in which Pau Gasol scored all of their points.

Despite the momentum shift, the Clippers didn't fold and led 75-74 heading into the fourth quarter.

In the fourth, it was all Clippers.

Memphis never led again, and the Clippers went up 90-80 with 7:37 to play. It wasn't a blowout, as the Grizzlies pulled within 90-85, but that was as close as Memphis pulled down the stretch.

Maggette helped key the Clippers' fourth-quarter success. He scored six points in a row to give them the 90-80 lead. He scored nine points in the quarter.

The Grizzlies (11-23) lost after back-to-back victories and continued their road woes, dropping an 11th consecutive road game.

Gasol led the Grizzlies with 23 points and nine rebounds, rookie Drew Gooden added 14 points and Shane Battier added 11 points.

On this night, the Clippers didn't dig an early hole. They jumped out to a 13-2 lead, and at the end of the first quarter, they led the 31-16.

At halftime, the Clippers led 54-43. In the first half, Miller didn't sit a single minute, and he responded to the constant playing time with 12 points and 11 assists.

Brand was the recipient of many of those assists and had 15 points in the first half. But even counting Brand and Miller's points and steady play, perhaps the key to the Clippers' success was turnovers - or lack thereof.

The Clippers had just four first-half turnovers, compared to the Grizzlies' 11. The Clippers scored 12 points off turnovers, while the Grizzlies scored just two.

Despite the Clippers' various successes, a new sign of Clippers discontent popped up with 2:50 left in the first half. For a stretch at the end of the second quarter and the beginning of the third, the crowd booed every time Olowokandi touched the basketball.

Olowokandi will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season, and he was outspoken when his contract was not extended this summer. Olowokandi didn't score any points in the first half, and the boo birds hovered around him.

Olowokandi is nicknamed ``The Kandi Man,'' but someone in the crowd repeatedly yelled, calling him ``The Kandi Boy.''

CAPTION(S):

2 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- color) Memphis guard Brevin Knight, right, goes up for a shot as Clippers center Michael Olowokandi tries for the block Wednesday.

(2) Corey Maggette (50) goes up for a shot over Memphis' Mike Batiste in the fourth quarter Wednesday.

Lucy Nicholson/Associated Press

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GAME RECAP