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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Derek Anderson scored 17 of his 23 points in
the first quarter against the banged-up New York Knicks, and the
Los Angeles Clippers held on to win 100-95 Tuesday night after
nearly blowing a 28-point lead.
|  | | Clippers forward Brian Skinner goes to the hoop at the expense of Knicks center Chris Dudley. |
The Clippers (4-7) won consecutive games for the first time this
season. They didn't get their fourth victory last season until
their 34th game, when they started 0-17 following the NBA lockout.
Lamar Odom, who entered the game leading all rookies with a 19.4
scoring average, added 24 points for the Clippers. He also made a
spectacular block on Latrell Sprewell's fast-break layup with 19
seconds left in the third quarter.
Sprewell had 32 points, his highest-scoring game since joining
New York last season. The Knicks used their fifth different
starting lineup in their first 13 games because of injuries to
forwards Larry Johnson and Marcus Camby. The loss was their sixth
in the last eight games.
The Knicks, who never led after Kurt Thomas' opening basket,
closed to 85-82 when Sprewell's 18-footer capped a 9-0 spurt with
8:37 left. But Tyrone Nesby hit a 3-pointer 40 seconds later to
give the Clippers a 94-89 lead with 4:19 remaining.
Charlie Ward sank two free throws and made a 3-pointer to pull
the Knicks within 98-95 with 57 seconds to go. But Thomas missed
two free throws with 10 seconds left and Sprewell misfired on a
3-point attempt with four seconds to go.
Eric Piatkowski then sank two free throws at the other end,
helping end the Clippers' five-game losing streak against the
Knicks.
Nesby, who missed the previous two games due to the birth of his
daughter, scored 22 points before fouling out with 1:31 remaining.
The Clippers led 60-32 in the second quarter before Sprewell
helped narrow the gap to 65-49 with 13 points in the final 3½ minutes of the half. The Knicks closed to 78-72 with a 12-0 run,
capped by Allan Houston's jumper with 2:40 left in the third.
Camby, limited to 19 minutes on Saturday against Golden State
because of tendinitis in his left knee, decided to rest in the
finale of a 2-3 road trip. Johnson was back in New York for an
examination on his back ailment, which was diagnosed as a pinched
nerve.
The injuries to Johnson and Camby caused coach Jeff Van Gundy to
start Andrew Lang on Michael Olowokandi and Thomas on Brian
Skinner. The Knicks got the early advantage on both matchups, as
Olowokandi was benched with two fouls after just 30 seconds of play
and Thomas made his first four shots.
But the Clippers responded with their highest-scoring quarter of
the season. Anderson scored 17 points on 6-for-7 shooting and Odom
hit a 3-pointer with 2.7 seconds left to give Los Angeles a 39-24
lead and cap a 13-4 run.
Nesby took over for Anderson in the second quarter and scored 14
points. He provided all the Clippers' offense in a 10-2 spurt,
including a 3-pointer that capped the rally and gave Los Angeles a
60-32 cushion with 4:16 left in the half.
Game notes
Skinner started his fourth consecutive game in place of
Maurice Taylor, who is out with a sprained left foot. ... Sprewell
received an early-morning phone call from an NBA official in New
York, informing him that his obscenity-laced dialogue with some
taunting fans in Oakland on Saturday night was being investigated.
"I forget who it was because I was half asleep when he called,"
Sprewell said. "So I'm like, `What's this about now? What now?' I
was kind of surprised, actually. I didn't expect it." ... Odom and
Sprewell entered the game tied for the league lead in average
minutes per game with 41.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
New York Clubhouse
LA Clippers Clubhouse
Sprewell fined $10,000 for cursing at Warriors fans
RECAPS
Washington 89
Vancouver 87
Atlanta 113
Miami 106
Cleveland 103
Portland 100
Houston 119
Dallas 99
Phoenix 94
Toronto 93
LA Clippers 100
New York 95
Sacramento 105
New Jersey 92
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