CLIPPERS WIN SECOND STRAIGHT : VICTORY IS NO. 900 FOR FITCH CLIPPERS 106, SACREMENTO 94.Byline: Gary Washburn Daily News Staff Writer Apparently against their Pacific Division equal, the Clippers decided to give coach Bill Fitch William Fitch (born May 19 1934 in Davenport, Iowa) is a former NBA coach who has been successful in making teams playoff contenders throughout his coaching career. Before entering the professional ranks he coached college ball at the University of Minnesota, Bowling Green State a gift - a going-away win. Win No. 900 wasn't easy for Fitch, although the Clippers kept suspense at a minimum in a 106-94 win over the Sacramento Kings in front of an announced crowd of 7,269 at the Sports Arena. Fitch was more concerned about getting the club's second consecutive win rather than his milestone victory, which is a pleasant alternative to loss No. 1,000, which he collected three weeks ago. ``You guys know how I feel about that, I just dismiss it,'' Fitch said. ``Tonight was a big win for us, I am just thankful that I have been around long enough to have this many wins and losses.'' The Clippers used a balanced effort - seven players in double figure scoring - to keep the Kings at bay for most of the game. Loy Vaught Loy Stephen Vaught (born February 27, 1968 in Grand Rapids, Michigan) is a retired American basketball player who spent ten seasons in the NBA, primarily with the Los Angeles Clippers. continued his resurgence, added 10 points to his season-high 18 rebounds in just 33 minutes. The Clippers won consecutive games for the first time since Nov. 17th and 20th and won consecutive games at the Sports Arena for the first time all season. The club was interested in how it would fare against Sacramento, a team it expects to battle for the final Western Conference playoff spots. Despite a season-high 33 points by Mitch Richmond Mitchell James ("Mitch") Richmond (born June 30, 1965 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida) is a retired American basketball player in the National Basketball Association. Known as "The Rock," "The Hammer", "The Captain," and "The Scorelord," Richmond was one of the NBA's best pure shooters , the Clippers outscored the Kings bench 46-26 with Charles Outlaw and Terry Dehere Lennox Dominique "Terry" Dehere (born September 12 1971 in New York City, New York) is an American Democratic Party politician, restauranteur and former NBA basketball player. Dehere grew up in Jersey City, New Jersey, New Jersey and attended St. combining for 30. The Clippers never trailed after the fourth quarter and manhandled the harmless Kings inside and outside. They shot a season-high 48 free throws, making 36, and finally put a team away when they had the chance. The way the Western Conference is shaping up, there are five playoff spots already filled, meaning the Clippers will fight with the Kings, Dallas, Minnesota, Denver, Golden State and Phoenix for the final three spots. The Clippers are 4-3 against those teams and the red-hot Suns come to Anaheim on Monday. The Clippers' 9-14 record doesn't seem to be of playoff quality until you realize that it is the best record of the bunch. ``There is a rivalry brewing between four and five teams in the West trying to get those precious playoff spots,'' Fitch said. ``I think with a healthy team we have a chance to make a run.'' That is not yet the case with Pooh Richardson Jerome "Pooh" Richardson (born May 14 1966 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American former National Basketball Association (NBA) player. The 6'1" point guard was taken by the Minnesota Timberwolves with the tenth overall pick of the 1989 NBA Draft out of UCLA. out with a sprained foot and Eric Piatkowski Eric Todd Piatkowski (pronounced IPA: /ˌpaɪətˈkaʊski/) (born September 30, 1970, in Steubenville, Ohio) is an American National Basketball Association player with the Phoenix Suns. yet to play after coming off the injured list with the flu. So Darrick Martin Darrick David Martin (born March 6, 1971 in Denver, Colorado, United States) is an American professional basketball player, currently with the NBA's Toronto Raptors. Martin has became known as a solid veteran who provided quality minutes as a reserve, maintaining a career free had to carry the load at point guard against ex-UCLA teammate Tyus Edney Tyus Dwayne Edney (born February 14 1973 in Gardena, California) is an American professional basketball player, known for one of the greatest plays in college basketball history. . Martin outplayed the guy who took his starting job at UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX . In his fourth start, Martin handed out seven assists and offset a terrible shooting night (0 for 8) by hitting all 15 of his free throws. Martin's penetration allowed the Clippers post players to get the ball near the hoop. A big recipient was rookie center Lorenzen Wright, who dominated the unpredictable Olden Polynice with 10 points and seven rebounds in 29 minutes. Wright was projected as a power forward but is quickly learning to play center. He is showing more aggressiveness near the basket and is no longer so easy to post up. Polynice missed 10 shots, mostly with Wright's hand in his face. It was a big difference from playing against David Robinson. ``I really didn't know what to expect when I came to the pros,'' Wright said. ``Right now the whole thing is kind of a learning experience and I'm just trying to do the best I can. I hope by the end of the season, I can start making a big contribution.'' Dehere and Malik Sealy both helped counter Richmond's scoring with a combined 30 points. But rumors have been flying that the Clippers could move either player to Detroit for Stacey Augmon. The Pistons have contacted the Clippers about those two players, with Clippers center Dwayne Schintzius also being thrown in. Detroit is not happy with the newly acquired Augmon and has contacted many NBA NBA abbr. 1. National Basketball Association 2. National Boxing Association NBA (US) n abbr (= National Basketball Association) → Basketball-Dachverband (= teams about his services. The Clippers' Lamond Murray, who did not play on Saturday for his first DNP DNP n. Deoxyribonucleoprotein; a complex of DNA and protein that usually yields DNA upon cell disruption and isolation. DNP 2,4-dinitrophenol. all season, is not involved in those talks. The Clippers have a logjam log·jam n. 1. An immovable mass of floating logs crowded together. 2. A deadlock, as in negotiations; an impasse. Noun 1. of guards and could be interested in moving one of those guards for the right offer. Augmon, a 6-foot-7 forward, is an outstanding defensive player who could give the Clippers an athlete who can run the floor. The Pistons have also reportedly talked to the Kings about center Duane Causwell, who wants out of Sacramento and proved it with 11 lethargic minutes against the Clippers. But it appeared as if most the Kings were uninterested in the outcome. For a club that made the playoffs last season and added Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, Sacramento is sure playing as if it's preparing for the NBA draft lottery The NBA Draft Lottery is an annual event held by the National Basketball Association (NBA) to determine the order of the NBA Draft for that year. The teams that did not make the playoffs compete in a weighted lottery, in which teams with least amount of wins have a greater chance . ``We can't live up to everybody's expectations,'' Abdul-Rauf said. CAPTION(S): 2 Photos, Box Photo: (1--color) The Clippers' Darrick Martin splits two Kings players en route to the basket. (2) The Kings' Olden Polynice tries to block a shot by the Clippers' Kevin Duckworth. The Clippers earned their second straight victory. Hans Gutknecht / Daily News Box: CLIPPERS BOX |
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