NBA: LA CLIPPERS at DENVER <div class="pre">NBA FINAL 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL --- --- --- --- ----- LA CLIPPERS 22 30 21 34 107 DENVER 35 20 33 31 119 FINAL HIGH SCORERS: LAC - TIM THOMAS 19, GUILLERMO DIAZ 16, COREY MAGGETTE 14 DEN - CARMELO ANTHONY 17, VON WAFER 17, J.R. SMITH 15</div>
By Blake Redabaugh PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer DENVER (Ticker) -- The Los Angeles Clippers are going to have tolearn quickly how to play without All-Star forward Elton Brand. Carmelo Anthony scored 17 points and Marcus Camby had 13 and 23rebounds as the Denver Nuggets defeated the Clippers, 119-107,in the preseason opener for both teams on Tuesday. Brand, who has only missed an average of six games over thecourse of his eight-year career, ruptured his left Achillestendon during a midsummer workout. Los Angeles is hopeful hecan return for the second half of the season. One of the players expected to pick up the slack in Brand'sabsence is rookie Al Thornton, the 14th overall selection out ofFlorida State. The 6-8, 220-pound rookie started the game andscored nine points in 34 minutes. Tim Thomas led the Clippers with 19 points. Newly acquired freeagents Ruben Patterson and Dan Dickau added eight and 15points, respectively. Denver raced out to a 35-22 first-quarter lead behind sevenpoints each from Anthony, Allen Iverson and Linas Kleiza. TheClippers cut the Nuggets' lead to 55-52 at halftime after a 13-4surge to end the first half. The Clippers got within one point at 61-60 but the Nuggetsclosed the quarter on a 27-13 run. Guard Von Wafer, alate-season signee by the Nuggets, scored 10 of his 17 pointsduring the run and the Clippers never came within eight pointsthe rest of the way. Both teams were playing without regular starters and keybackups. Besides Brand, Los Angeles was missing Cuttino Mobley (strainedleft calf), Chris Kaman (sore lower back), and Sam Cassell (soreleft knee). The Nuggets sat free agent signee Chucky Atkins (strained rightgroin), Anthony Carter (broken right hand), Eduardo Najera(strained lower back), Nene (strained right calf) and KenyonMartin (right knee). With Denver missing both Atkins and Carter at the point guardposition they turned to third-year pro Anthony Roberson. Signedas a training camp invitee, Roberson scored eight points in thefirst half, including two 3-pointers.
NBA: LA CLIPPERS at DENVER <div class="pre">LA CLIPPERS (107) AT DENVER (119) LA CLIPPERS REBOUNDS PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS ====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == === R PATTERSON G 13:15 3-8 2-4 1 2 3 2 3 1 0 8 A THORNTON F 34:18 4-13 1-2 1 5 6 1 5 1 2 9 T THOMAS C 27:22 8-15 1-3 2 5 7 1 2 2 3 19 C MAGGETTE F 22:05 4-12 5-8 1 3 4 2 2 0 2 14 B KNIGHT G 21:00 1-4 0-0 0 4 4 4 3 1 0 2 J POWELL 23:41 1-5 5-6 3 4 7 0 5 0 2 7 Q ROSS 5:17 1-2 0-0 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 2 P DAVIS 33:18 4-10 3-3 1 2 3 7 5 1 4 11 Y KOROLEV 14:46 2-6 0-2 0 0 0 0 3 2 0 4 G DIAZ 17:58 7-9 0-1 2 3 5 2 3 0 1 16 D DICKAU 27:00 5-10 3-5 0 1 1 7 4 3 1 15 S CASSELL DNP - COACH'S DECISION A WILLIAMS DNP - COACH'S DECISION C MOBLEY DNP - NOT WITH TEAM E BRAND DNP - NOT WITH TEAM K FFRIEND DNP - COACH'S DECISION M DOUTHIT DNP - COACH'S DECISION S LIVINGSTON DNP - NOT WITH TEAM TOTALS 240:00 40-94 20-34 12 29 41 26 36 12 15 107 (.426) (.588) TEAM REBS: 17 TOTAL TO: 15 (18 PTS) DENVER REBOUNDS PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS ====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == === C ANTHONY F 24:58 7-14 2-3 0 2 2 6 3 0 4 17 L KLEIZA F 24:36 5-10 1-2 1 2 3 0 3 0 0 12 M CAMBY C 24:39 6-10 1-4 5 18 23 4 2 1 1 13 J SMITH G 24:39 5-14 5-5 0 1 1 1 2 1 3 15 A IVERSON G 23:44 4-8 3-3 0 1 1 7 0 0 3 11 S AUGMON 17:22 0-3 2-2 1 3 4 0 2 0 0 2 Y DIAWARA 22:28 1-2 5-6 2 2 4 2 1 1 1 7 A ROBERSON 24:16 3-6 4-4 1 2 3 3 5 1 4 12 V WAFER 24:16 5-9 5-5 0 6 6 3 4 0 2 17 J MCCOY 6:53 3-3 0-0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 6 S HUNTER 14:10 3-4 1-3 1 2 3 0 1 2 1 7 B STRICKER 4:33 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 B JONES 3:26 0-0 0-0 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 A CARTER DNP - HAND INJURY C ATKINS DNP - COACH'S DECISION E NAJERA DNP - BACK MUSCLE STRAIN K MARTIN DNP - COACH'S DECISION NENE DNP - COACH'S DECISION TOTALS 240:00 42-83 29-37 11 41 52 27 24 6 19 119 (.506) (.784) TEAM REBS: 7 TOTAL TO: 19 (24 PTS) LA CLIPPERS 22 30 21 34 - 107 DENVER 35 20 33 31 - 119 BLOCKED SHOTS: LA CLIPPERS - T THOMAS, B KNIGHT, J POWELL. DENVER - M CAMBY 3, J MCCOY, Y DIAWARA. 3-PT. FIELD GOALS: LA CLIPPERS 7-12 (.583), T THOMAS 2-4, C MAGGETTE 1- 1, G DIAZ 2-3, D DICKAU 2-4. DENVER 6-17 (.353), C ANTHONY 1-2, L KLEIZA 1- 1, J SMITH 0-7, A ROBERSON 2-2, V WAFER 2-5. TECHNICAL FOULS: DENVER - TEAM. FLAGRANT FOULS: NONE. OFFICIALS: JASON PHILLIPS, MARK AYOTTE, RON GARRETSON. A - 8,932. T - 2:20.</div>
NBA: LA CLIPPERS at DENVER <div class="pre">LA CLIPPERS (107) fg ft rb min m-a m-a o-t a pf tp R Patterson 13:15 3-8 2-4 1-3 2 3 8 A Thornton 34:18 4-13 1-2 1-6 1 5 9 T Thomas 27:22 8-15 1-3 2-7 1 2 19 C Maggette 22:05 4-12 5-8 1-4 2 2 14 B Knight 21:00 1-4 0-0 0-4 4 3 2 J Powell 23:41 1-5 5-6 3-7 0 5 7 Q Ross 5:17 1-2 0-0 1-1 0 1 2 P Davis 33:18 4-10 3-3 1-3 7 5 11 Y Korolev 14:46 2-6 0-2 0-0 0 3 4 G Diaz 17:58 7-9 0-1 2-5 2 3 16 D Dickau 27:00 5-10 3-5 0-1 7 4 15 S Cassell DNP - COACH'S DECISION A Williams DNP - COACH'S DECISION C Mobley DNP - NOT WITH TEAM E Brand DNP - NOT WITH TEAM K Ffriend DNP - COACH'S DECISION M Douthit DNP - COACH'S DECISION S Livingston DNP - NOT WITH TEAM ______________________________________________________ TOTALS 240:00 40-94 20-34 12-41 26 36 107 ______________________________________________________ Percentages: FG-.426, FT-.588. 3-Point Goals: 7-12, .583 (T Thomas 2-4, C Maggette 1-1, G Diaz 2-3, D Dickau 2-4). Team Rebounds: 17. Blocked Shots:3 (T Thomas, B Knight, J Powell). Turnovers:15 (P Davis 4, T Thomas 3, C Maggette 2, J Powell 2, A Thornton 2, D Dickau, G Diaz). Steals: 12 (D Dickau 3, T Thomas 2, Y Korolev 2, B Knight, P Davis, A Thornton, R Patterson, Q Ross). DENVER (119) fg ft rb min m-a m-a o-t a pf tp C Anthony 24:58 7-14 2-3 0-2 6 3 17 L Kleiza 24:36 5-10 1-2 1-3 0 3 12 M Camby 24:39 6-10 1-4 5-23 4 2 13 J Smith 24:39 5-14 5-5 0-1 1 2 15 A Iverson 23:44 4-8 3-3 0-1 7 0 11 S Augmon 17:22 0-3 2-2 1-4 0 2 2 Y Diawara 22:28 1-2 5-6 2-4 2 1 7 A Roberson 24:16 3-6 4-4 1-3 3 5 12 V Wafer 24:16 5-9 5-5 0-6 3 4 17 J McCoy 6:53 3-3 0-0 0-0 1 0 6 S Hunter 14:10 3-4 1-3 1-3 0 1 7 B Stricker 4:33 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 B Jones 3:26 0-0 0-0 0-2 0 0 0 A Carter DNP - HAND INJURY C Atkins DNP - COACH'S DECISION E Najera DNP - BACK MUSCLE STRAIN K Martin DNP - COACH'S DECISION Nene DNP - COACH'S DECISION ______________________________________________________ TOTALS 240:00 42-83 29-37 11-52 27 24 119 ______________________________________________________ Percentages: FG-.506, FT-.784. 3-Point Goals: 6-17, .353 (C Anthony 1-2, L Kleiza 1-1, J Smith 0-7, A Roberson 2-2, V Wafer 2-5). Team Rebounds: 7. Blocked Shots:5 (M Camby 3, J McCoy, Y Diawara). Turnovers:19 (A Roberson 4, C Anthony 4, A Iverson 3, J Smith 3, V Wafer 2, M Camby, S Hunter, Y Diawara). Steals: 6 (S Hunter 2, M Camby, A Roberson, Y Diawara, J Smith). -------------------------------------------- LA CLIPPERS 22 30 21 34 - 107 DENVER 35 20 33 31 - 119 -------------------------------------------- Technical fouls: Denver - 1 (Team, 10:35 2nd). Flagrant fouls: None. A: 8,932. T: 2:20. Officials: Jason Phillips, Mark Ayotte, Ron Garretson.</div>
NBA: LA CLIPPERS at DENVER <div class="pre">NBA FINAL 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL --- --- --- --- ----- LA CLIPPERS 22 30 21 34 107 DENVER 35 20 33 31 119 FINAL HIGH SCORERS: LAC - TIM THOMAS 19, GUILLERMO DIAZ 16, DAN DICKAU 15 DEN - CARMELO ANTHONY 17, VON WAFER 17, J.R. SMITH 15 HIGH REBOUND: LAC - TIM THOMAS 7, JOSH POWELL 7, AL THORNTON 6 DEN - MARCUS CAMBY 23, VON WAFER 6, TWO PLAYERS WITH 4 HIGH ASSISTS: LAC - DAN DICKAU 7, PAUL DAVIS 7, BREVIN KNIGHT 4 DEN - ALLEN IVERSON 7, CARMELO ANTHONY 6, MARCUS CAMBY 4 ATT: 8,932</div>
