CLIPPERS TURN INTO MATINEE IDOLS CLIPPERS 103, GOLDEN STATE 90.

Byline: JOE STEVENS

Staff Writer

Frogs didn't fall from the sky. The moon did not turn blue.

But a relatively rare phenomenon occurred Saturday afternoon at Staples Center. The Clippers won there for the first time in February with a 103-90 victory over the Golden State Warriors.

The Clippers snapped a four-game losing streak, and not only were they victorious at home for the first time since January, but they won for the first time in 13 days.

Maybe Elton Brand was caught up in the moment.

Maybe he was basking in his monster game of 31 points, 12 rebounds and tying a career high with eight blocks.

But without prompting, Brand said, "We had the question all season long: Is this the turning point? Is this the turning point? This has to be the turning point. We have to play well. We leapfrogged them, and now we have to catch the next team."

By mentioning "leapfrogging," Brand was pointing out that the Clippers entered the day in the No. 10 position in the Western Conference, behind Golden State. They moved to ninth and a half-game behind New Orleans for the eighth and final playoff spot in the West.

Although a home victory over Golden State -- which did not have Baron Davis -- might not look like that glorious of an NBA moment, Brand's point was that only 27 games remain and the Clippers cannot afford to wait any longer to make a move. Time is running out.

"I've been asked at least four times, after a big win or road win, if this is the turning point," Brand said. "This has to be it."

Even though they won by 13 points, the Clippers hardly had control -- until the fourth quarter. Through three quarters, there had been nine lead changes and seven ties with no team leading by more than six points -- and that was the Warriors.

With the Clippers up 83-81 with 7:54 left, they went on an 8-0 run to go up by 10, and Golden State did not recover. Corey Maggette scored five points, and Shaun Livingston had a three-point play during the run.

Maggette and Livingston's play during that critical run underscored their role in the win. Those two, along with Brand and Quinton Ross, are the only Clippers in the normal rotation who aren't hobbled by some sort of injury. In a sense, Los Angeles needed to have big contributions from them on Saturday, and they responded.

Maggette had an overall solid game with 18 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Livingston responded with 14 points and a career-high 14 assists.

At times, Maggette has engaged in a media soap opera with coach Mike Dunleavy, who regulated him to a sixth-man role at the start of this season. Maggette tries to be professional about his role, but at times slips and criticizes his coach to reporters.

But on Saturday, Maggette started for a second straight game, and contrary to some carefully chosen words in the past, his coach was extremely complimentary of his play.

"Corey had a great day in practice yesterday," Dunleavy said. "He was playing very similar to how he played today. Defensively, he did a terrific job."

Dunleavy was pleased with the team's defense. The Clippers outrebounded Golden State 48-35.

Most of Brand's blocks came because his teammates were beaten by the speedy Warriors. Still, the fact that the Clippers held the Warriors to 90 points, when they average 105.8 per game, second only to the Phoenix Suns, made it look like their defensive mojo could be back.

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The Clippers' Elton Brand looks to get a shot off as Golden State's Andris Bledrins defends Saturday.

Edna T. Simpson/Daily News