The Clippers welcomed two more players to the team Monday. And both Drew Gooden and Travis Outlaw had solid games, which, in tandem with the return of Baron Davis from a sore lower back injury, helped the Clippers defeat Charlotte and improve to 23-33 overall with their second consecutive home victory.
Gooden, acquired from the Washington Wizards on Feb. 17, saw significant time off of the bench, mostly at the power forward spot in place of DeAndre Jordan. And Gooden showed he can still hit shots from 15 feet and beyond, knocking down 4 of 9 attempts (including a difficult heave from about 20 feet out on the right baseline) on the way to 10 points and nine boards in 27 minutes.
Outlaw, obtained along with Steve Blake on Feb. 16 from the Portland Trail Blazers, looked solid in his 15 minutes on the court. His jumper was on target in his first game since Nov. 14 (he's been out with a stress fracture in his left foot) as he buried 4-of-6 shots from the field, including 2-of-3 from deep, on the way to 10 points.
The Clippers were also bolstered by the play of Davis as he looked to find his teammates this time around (10 assists). And Davis' defense on former Golden State Warriors teammate Stephen Jackson was outstanding as he forced Jackson into some difficult misses (1-for-16 from the field) and even blocked one of Jackson's shots after a pump fake.
The Clippers have 26 games left to see if this current group, with the aforementioned new additions in Gooden, Outlaw and Blake, can consistently win games while setting the team up for potential playoff contention in 2010-11 after the presumed debut of 2009 No. 1 overall draft pick Blake Griffin. Next up are the Detroit Pistons at home Wednesday.
CLIPPERS 98, BOBCATS 94: The Clippers overcame some shaky foul shooting down the stretch (three missed free throws in the final minutes) to pull out their second straight victory. Six players finished in double figures in points in a balanced offensive effort for the Clippers. Rasual Butler led the way with 20, Chris Kaman poured in 18, Eric Gordon ended up with 11 and Baron Davis, Drew Gooden and Travis Outlaw each scored 10.
