KAMAN IS CENTER OF ATTENTION HAS 24 POINTS, 23 REBOUNDS IN CLIPPERS' WIN CLIPPERS 95, MINNESOTA 87.

Byline: Joe Stevens Staff Writer

The Clippers pride themselves on having a well-balanced roster that doesn't always have to rely on Elton Brand for offense.

With the Minnesota Timberwolves intent on stopping Brand on Monday night, the spotlight belonged to Chris Kaman, who had a career night. The long-haired center had 24 points, a career-high 23 rebounds and career-high four steals in a 95-87 victory over the emotionally charged Timberwolves at Staples Center.

It was the Clippers' fourth consecutive win, and the Wolves' fifth loss in a row. But Minnesota played inspired after superstar Kevin Garnett lambasted his teammates two days earlier after a loss.

In essence, the two teams' All-Stars - Garnett and Brand - canceled out each other. Garnett finished with 13 points and 16 rebounds, and Brand had 14 points and 11 rebounds.

``Elton had a tough matchup with Kevin Garnett, and I knew that going into it,'' Kaman said. ``The guy's an All-Star, just like Elton is, and I thought we did a pretty good job on him.''

Kaman had a low-key reaction to his dominant game and simply said he was trying to play hard and a lot of rebounds happened to fall his way. His teammates, though, see a player who is on his way to being an elite center in the league, if he isn't already.

``It's no a surprise to us because he's such a force down low,'' Clippers guard Shaun Livingston said of Kaman. ``I don't even think he's capable of understanding how great he can be. But we, his teammates, see it every day, and we know what he's capable of.''

Kaman's effort was his second 20-point, 20-rebound performance of the season. The first one came in Charlotte on Dec. 23.

Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy, however, pointed out a major distinction between the two outings.

``He was terrific tonight because when he did that against Charlotte, they didn't have a whole lot of big men,'' Dunleavy said. ``They were playing small a lot. This game, he had two 7-footers in there in Mark Blount and Kevin Garnett, and the whole time that's who he was playing against. He never had a small guy on him.''

Although Kaman's game was exceptional, the Clippers also had a handful of other positives as they recovered from an 11-point deficit in the second quarter and a 10-point deficit in the third quarter. The Clippers didn't lead in the second half until Vladimir Radmanovic scored his only points on a 3-pointer with 6:53 left.

Down the stretch, the game was tight, and Kaman gave the Clippers the lead for good, 87-85, on a drive to the basket with 2:38 remaining.

With 1:12 left, Brand made a key jump shot to give the Clippers a 91-86 lead and some breathing room, and they cruised from there.

Ricky Davis led Minnesota with 20 points, but scored just two points in the second half.

Dunleavy trumpeted the victory as a playoff primer because the game was physical and emotional, and his players hunkered down in the second half after a mediocre first half. As the Clippers improved to 37-25, they tied their victory total from last season and are focused on preparing for the playoffs.

Joe Stevens, [phone]

joe.stevens(at)presstelegram.com

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Photo:

Clippers center Chris Kaman, left, battles Minnesota's Marko Jaric for the ball during Monday's game.

Andy Holzman/Staff Photographer