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 a six-game trip with two wins, including one of their best victories of the season in Minnesota on Wednesday. Then they came back to Staples Center on Saturday night and lost that momentum with a 104-92 drubbing at the hands of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

In several ways, the loss was a baffling affair. The Clippers started out great, went up 10-2, and played the Cavs neck-and-neck until the final 30 seconds of the third quarter.

And that was that.

Cleveland struck for six quick points in the final 30 seconds of the third to go up 79-69. After that, the Clippers briefly pulled to within eight, then trailed by double digits for the rest of the fourth quarter.

``Once we got down a little bit, they hit some shots and took us out of it,'' Clippers guard Shaun Livingston said. ``We let the crowd take us out of it. It shouldn't be like that. We have to continue to play, regardless.''

The Clippers again were sloppy with the ball. They had 16 turnovers, and Cleveland capitalized with 22 points off of them.

LeBron James had a typical night with 28 points, six assists and six rebounds. In the midst of his fourth NBA season, the 22-year-old already has had an array of accomplishments, and he added something else: his first win in L.A. after going 0-6 at Staples Center before Saturday.

But if you ask Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy, the loss was more about his team's lack of concentration than James' prowess.

``We didn't come out flat,'' Dunleavy said. ``We came out sharp. We came out doing everything we're supposed to be doing. And that's the point of it. Our concentration, our focus level drifts on us. And to be a really good team, it can't.''

The Clippers looked fine in the first half, though they only led 48-47 at halftime. Chris Kaman and his counterpart at center, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, had an inside battle going throughout the night, and they each finished with 20 points.

Other than the turnovers, the statistics didn't look all that bad. Maggette scored a team-high 22 points and Elton Brand had 16 points and 10 rebounds.

That the Clippers couldn't sustain a winning streak and fell threegames below .500 while aspiring to secure a playoff spot was disheartening.

``It is very frustrating, not keeping the momentum going,'' Brand said. ``We pretty much dominated the first quarter of the night, and it is definitely frustrating to not play well for the entire game.''

The Cavaliers started their run at the end of the third by capitalizing on Clippers mistakes. Drew Gooden converted a 3-point play after being fouled by Maggette on a jump shot. Then Quinton Ross fouled Damon Jones on a 3-point shot with 1.7 seconds left, and Jones made all three free throws.

``We had a lot of mental mistakes, some unforced turnovers,'' Clippers guard Sam Cassell said. ``It doesn't take much to turn a whole game around, and they had two defensive plays back to back. We were down four, then down by 10 in a matter of seconds. But that's how the game goes. It goes as well as you predict it.''

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

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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