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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The Los Angeles Clippers didn't get any
sympathy when they kept losing while the Chicago Bulls won
championships.
|  | | Bulls guard Ron Artest, center, gets sandwiched between Clippers center Michael Olowokandi, left, and forward Lamar Odom. |
So the Clippers sure aren't going to feel sorry for the Bulls
now.
Michael Olowokandi had his best game of the season with 21
points as Los Angeles dealt Chicago its 15th consecutive loss,
102-82 Monday night.
"I don't think anybody has any sympathy for anybody in the NBA.
It just doesn't happen," Clippers coach Alvin Gentry said. "It's
nothing personal against Tim Floyd or the Chicago Bulls. It's just
the way the league is.
"I mean, I'm great friends with (San Antonio coach) Gregg
Popovich, but I don't think he felt very sympathetic when they
kicked our butts twice last week. That's just the way it is when
you're in a competitive situation."
Eric Piatkowski, in his seventh season with the Clippers, was on
the other side of this equation enough times to know how much of an
embarrassment it is to have an opponent end a long losing streak at
your expense.
"When you have a game like you have tonight and you're supposed
to win, you've got to go win at all costs and do whatever it
takes," Piatkowski said. "This is a tough profession, but it's a
profession you choose to be in. Nobody's going to feel sorry for
you. They just want to pound you. And when you're down, they want
to kick you and keep you down."
Lamar Odom had 12 points and 10 rebounds for the Clippers, who
beat the Bulls for only the second time in 21 meetings and the
first since Dec. 27, 1994 at Chicago -- during Michael Jordan's
first retirement from the NBA. They also had lost 10 straight at
home to the Bulls since Nov. 26, 1989.
Los Angeles (16-33) has won three straight games following a
nine-game skid to surpass last year's win total.
The Bulls' club-record losing streak finally got to Floyd. He
was ejected for the fifth time in his three-year NBA career after
making contact with referee Greg Willard during a heated argument.
The ejection came with 5:36 left in the second quarter when
Floyd argued a no-call involving Marcus Fizer. Assistant coach Bill
Berry ran the team the rest of the way.
"I didn't bump him," Floyd snapped. "If I'd have bumped him,
I would have knocked him down. That's absolutely ridiculous. I had
no intent to bump him. I called him a name."
Bulls assistant Phil Johnson received a technical foul from
referee Dan Crawford with 8:02 left and the Bulls trailing 79-72.
Elton Brand, the Bulls' leading scorer, had 18 points and 15
rebounds despite playing with a sore and hyperextended right elbow
that has bothered him for about two weeks. Previous X-rays were
negative, but he will go for another set when the Bulls return
home.
"He played with a great deal of heart," Floyd said. "He's
playing through a great deal of pain right now, and he was an
absolute warrior out there. He played hard every minute he was on
the floor."
Chicago made only four shots in the first 10:09 of the fourth
quarter, while the Clippers extended their four-point lead to 94-74
with a 20-4 run. Rookie Quentin Richardson scored the final five
points of the rally, including a free throw with 2:24 remaining.
The Bulls, who haven't won since Jan. 4 against Washington, lost
by at least 20 points for the 10th time this season.
Chicago fell behind 43-33 with 4:13 left in the first half on a
layup by Richardson and a dunk by Corey Maggette off an alley-oop
lob from rookie Darius Miles. But Ron Mercer closed the gap to
47-45 by halftime with a 17-footer and a layup in the final
minute.
Game notes
The Bulls have nothing on the Clippers when it comes to
losing streaks. Los Angeles has had five skids of 16 or more games
over the previous 14 seasons, including a 19-game drought in
1988-89 that tied a franchise record. ... If the Clippers beat
Golden State on the road Wednesday, it will be their first
four-game winning streak since January 1997. The Warriors have lost
10 of 14 to the Clippers. ... The Bulls, who have seven rookies on
their 15-man roster, are the only team in the NBA with a younger
average age than the Clippers, who have four rookies.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Chicago Clubhouse
LA Clippers Clubhouse
RECAPS
Philadelphia 99
Denver 80
Toronto 110
Boston 98
Dallas 91
Atlanta 81
Houston 100
New York 86
San Antonio 109
Golden State 85
Seattle 95
Vancouver 82
LA Clippers 102
Chicago 82
AUDIO/VIDEO
 A high-flying Corey Maggette slams down a missed free throw, but gets called for goaltending.
avi: 569 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
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