INCONSISTENT CLIPPERS BREAK FIVE-GAME LOSING STREAK L.A. HAS TO BATTLE WITH LOWLY GRIZZLIES CLIPPERS 105, MEMPHIS 90.

Byline: JOE STEVENS Staff Writer

The Clippers have been a model of inconsistency, and on Wednesday night, they again displayed their puzzling persona.

Yes, they snapped a five-game losing streak with a 105-90 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies at Staples Center. And in one sense, they'll take that.

But again, the Clippers had ugly stretches that let the Grizzlies hang around, even though they built a 22-point lead.

So instead of gliding to a win, they had to battle the team with the worst record in the Western Conference, even though the Grizzlies never came closer than eight points in the fourth quarter.

The Clippers appeared to be poised to knock out the Grizzlies when they went up 76-54 with 7:18 left in the third quarter. But they finished the quarter by taking bad shots, turning the ball over and playing questionable defense to let Memphis back in the game 81-73, heading into the fourth quarter.

When the fourth quarter hit, L.A. hardly did anything spectacular, but finally secured the win when Tim Thomas made a 3-point shot with 2:15 left to go up 101-86.Cuttino Mobley scored 22 of his 24 points in the first half and added seven rebounds, and Elton Brand had 20 points and nine rebounds to lead the Clippers.

Sam Cassell didn't start, but returned after missing a game with a sprained ankle. He had 10 points and seven assists in 24 minutes, but went 2 of 9.

The Clippers had a 16-point lead in the third quarter at Minnesota last week, but ended up losing 104-96. So hardly any lead looks secure with them.

They also took a 41-20 lead just three minutes into the second quarter, after a 20-0 run. They led 64-49 at halftime, after Mobley made a buzzer- beating 3-point shot off a steal. Even though he logged 35 minutes the previous night, Mobley played the entire first half and scored 22 points, the most in a half by any Clipper this season.

Mobley made nine straight shots and went 10 of 12 from the field in the first half. The Clippers didn't trail the Grizzlies in any statistical category in the first half, but Memphis has its own problems with Pau Gasol recovering from a broken foot. He is expected to be out another month.

Not too long ago, the Clippers stood atop the Pacific Division with a 6-2 record, not looking superb but looking good enough to win when they weren't playing well.

Even when the Clippers were winning, coach Mike Dunleavy was hardly happy, not liking his team's lapses and sloppy play.

"I've been waving danger signs and flags the whole time," he said.Part of the reason was not having a healthy roster with Cassell, Chris Kaman and Thomas having abbreviated training camps. Add to that the fact that Brand had an exhausting offseason with getting married, traveling and playing for USA Basketball, and the Clippers have had their problems.

"We're not sharp," Dunleavy said. "That's really the bottom line: We're not sharp. It hasn't been just during the losing streak. It's been during our winning streak. You didn't hear me one time, this entire season, say, 'I'm really happy where we are. We're really good. We got it going.'"

Clippers notes: Dunleavy called a published report about him receiving a contract extension premature and "an unwanted distraction by me." The coach said, "I would have never brought it up. How it came out and what came out, it's already been too much, to have to answer questions and have people congratulate you on something that hasn't been done." However, the coach also said he is hoping the extension is taken care of soon. -- Kaman's sprained ankle has shown signs of healing, and it is possible that he could be back in about a week.

[e-mail]

[phone]

CAPTION(S):

photo

Photo:

The Clippers' Cuttino Mobley gets off a shot against the Grizzlies. Mobley scored 22 points in the first half Wednesday.

David Sprague/Staff Photographer