RECAP
|
BOX SCORE
|
 GAME FLOW
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Eric Piatkowski is just starting to regain some strength in his legs after undergoing surgery five weeks ago
on his left knee. Saturday night, he found his trademark 3-point shot just in time.
|  | | Hakeem Olajuwon, right, hammers Michael Olowokandi as the Clippers center goes up for a dunk attempt. |
Piatkowski scored four of his 10 points in the final 21 seconds to quell a late Houston rally as the Los Angeles Clippers beat the Rockets 77-74, giving Alvin Gentry his first victory as their head coach and snapping the team's 11-game home losing streak.
"It just felt really good for me to be out there on the
floor," said Piatkowski, who played only three minutes at Utah on
Tuesday night in his season debut. "I was coming back off my
surgery, so I didn't really know what the coach's confidence level
was in me because I wasn't able to play in any of the exhibition
games, and really didn't play in the first two games.
"So to be able to really contribute, help us win a game and
play good minutes in the fourth quarter does a lot for my
confidence. Hopefully, it will let them know that I'm back and I'm
ready to play."
Steve Francis scored 21 points and Shandon Anderson had 19 for
the Rockets, who got four points and 12 rebounds from Hakeem Olajuwon in 34 minutes.
Rockets forward Maurice Taylor, who left the Clippers for free agency after leading them in scoring the previous two seasons,
played his former team for the first time and finished with seven points on 3-for-11 shooting in 31 minutes. The Rockets outscored the Clippers 46-39 while he was in the game.
"I'm happy that Mo's happy," Piatkowski said of Taylor, who
missed a 12-foot jumper that would have tied the score in the final
minute. "But kind of I feel bad for the guy because he had a rough
night. It didn't look like he was his normal self, the way he was
shooting the ball. But he's going to have an awful lot more games
to come back and get us."
Taylor, who sprained his left ankle in Thursday night's victory
against Milwaukee, was 0-for-5 from the field and picked up three
fouls during his 12 minutes on the court in the first half.
"I don't really think I was pressing. I was shooting the same
shots I usually shoot, but I was just missing," Taylor said. "The
coaches said I was leaning back on my shot because I was trying not
to put pressure on my left ankle, so I wasn't getting my legs under
myself."
Taylor had stated publicly at the beginning of last season's
training camp that he would be playing his final season with the
Clippers and opt for free agency, which he did.
One of the questions concerning Taylor's fit with the Rockets
was whether the considerable skills he brought to the NBA from
Michigan had eroded during his three seasons with the Clippers -- who had three head coaches and a 41-173 record while he was in Los Angeles.
"A lot of people were making a lot out of this game because of
the Clipper thing, but they're just another NBA team," Taylor
said. "I mean, I'm not the only guy who left the Clippers. If you
guys were doing a story about everybody who left the Clippers, it
would take you all day."
Los Angeles opened the fourth quarter with a 15-0 run that
turned a four-point deficit into a 70-59 lead with 9:25 remaining.
The Rockets were 0-for-6 from the field during the rally, including
an aborted jumper by Cuttino Mobley that Lamar Odom blocked before
it left Mobley's hand.
Mobley then triggered a 12-3 spurt with a slam dunk and capped
it with a driving layup that reduced the Clippers' lead to 73-71
with 1:34 remaining. But Taylor misfired on a 12-footer that would
have tied the score, and Piatkowski's 3-pointer gave Los Angeles a
76-71 cushion with 21 seconds left.
Mobley hit a fadeaway 3-pointer with 13 seconds to go and Corey
Maggette missed two free throws at the other end, giving the
Rockets one last chance to pull even. But Mobley missed a short
jumper and Taylor missed on the ensuing offensive rebound.
Piatkowski made one of two free throws, and Matt Bullard was
short on a desperation 3-point try over Odom as time expired.
Game notes
The Clippers are off to a 1-2 start, just like last season,
when they finished with the NBA's worst record (15-67) for the
fourth time in 14 seasons. ... The Rockets, who swept last year's
season series with the Clippers by an average of 17.2 points per
game, lost to them for only the fourth time in 33 meetings. ...
Houston backup center Kelvin Cato's sprained ankle is more serious
than Taylor's, and will keep him sidelined 4-6 weeks. ... Kenny
Thomas, who missed the Rockets' first two games because of a
sprained left knee, returned to the lineup and scored four points
in 19 minutes. ... One of the Clippers' new assistant coaches is
Igor Kokoskov, a native of Belgrade, Yugoslavia, and the NBA's
first full-time, non-American assistant coach.
|
|
NBA Scoreboard
Houston Clubhouse
LA Clippers Clubhouse
RECAPS
LA Lakers 98
Vancouver 89
Indiana 94
Chicago 81
Toronto 103
Washington 96
Orlando 107
Atlanta 104
Cleveland 91
Boston 89
Philadelphia 84
Miami 82
Utah 112
Dallas 106
Minnesota 99
Sacramento 91
Charlotte 98
New Jersey 87
Milwaukee 97
Detroit 88
Phoenix 102
Denver 99
Portland 97
Seattle 90
San Antonio 117
Golden State 105
LA Clippers 77
Houston 74
|
