CLIPPERS THROW AWAY PRECIOUS MOMENTUM CAVALIERS BURY L.A. LATE FOR WIN CLEVELAND 104, CLIPPERS 92.

Byline: JOE STEVENS Staff Writer

The Clippers are becoming the Little Engine that Couldn't.

They gained some steam to conclude their six-game trip with two wins, including one of their best victories of the season in Minnesota. Then they came back to Staples Center on Saturday and lost their momentum with a 104-92 drubbing from the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Behind some inside strength from Chris Kaman and Elton Brand and efficient scoring from Corey Maggette, the Clippers stayed close until the end of the third quarter. LeBron James and Cleveland took a 79-69 lead into the fourth quarter and completed the victory before the Clippers had a chance to come back.

L.A. never pulled within 10 points in the fourth quarter, fell down 90-73 with 6:37 left when Damon Jones nailed a 3-point shot.

And that was that.

The Clippers fell down by as many as 20 points and had 16 turnovers to the Cavs' 10. Cleveland especially capitalized on the Clippers' miscues by scoring 22 points off turnovers.

While the Clippers continue to battle injuries, coach Mike Dunleavy mysteriously stuck with four starters and Maggette until 3:01 remained.

James had a typical night for himself, with 28 points, six assists and six rebounds.

In the midst of his fourth NBA season, the 22-year-old James already has had an array of accomplishments. He even added another accomplishment to his young career on Saturday night, becoming the seventh leading scorer in Cleveland Cavaliers history.

But success in L.A. had eluded him - until Saturday. He won his first game in Staples Center, improving to 1-6 in his career in the building.

``It's been long enough, but it's tough,'' James said before the game.``This building is tough, whether you're playing the Lakers or the Clippers.''

Heading into the fourth quarter, the Clippers trailed 79-69, after the Cavs finished the third quarter with a 6-0 spurt for their biggest lead until that point. Some mental mistakes hurt the Clippers, including a foul on a 3-point shot by Jones that turned into three successful free throws with 1.7 seconds left in the quarter.

Kaman finished 20 points and nine rebounds, but his production was almost matched exactly by his counterpart at center, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who had 20 points and eight rebounds.

Maggette scored a team-high 22 points, and Elton Brand had 16 points and 10 rebounds.

Depth again looked like an issue for issue for the Clippers. Other than Maggette, no reserve played more than 14 minutes.

The Clippers led 48-47 at halftime, after ``holding'' James to 16 first- half points. He shot 6 of 14 (42.9 percent) from the field, so he was far from perfect. But the superstar certainly made his mark.

Kaman had a strong first half with 13 points and six rebounds. He had several battles inside with Ilgauskas, who nearly matched Kaman's first- half production with 12 points and five rebounds.

The Clippers led the entire first half until early in the second quarter, but never built enough momentum to pull away. Their biggest lead was early 10-2, and after that, the game was tight until the end of the third quarter and start of the fourth.

Notes: Zeljko Rebraca Rebraca remains out indefinitely as he recovers from a lower back problem, and Williams (flu) was the only other Clipper unavailable. ... The attendance was 20,027, for the Clippers' fourth sellout this season.

[e-mail].

[phone]

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) Cleveland's LeBron James battles the Clippers' Elton Brand for a rebound Saturday.

(2) The Clippers' Chris Kaman puts up a shot over Cleveland's Zydrunas Ilgauskas on Saturday.

John Lazar/Staff Photographer