Los Angeles — Missing two starters and mired in a three-game losing streak, the Los Angeles Clippers were looking for someone to play well. They found seven different options.
Jeff McInnis led seven players in double figures with 23 points and the Clippers defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 112-97 Tuesday night in a matchup of struggling teams.
Portland's Ruben Patterson, front center, looks for a shot through the arms of Los Angeles center Sean Brooks, left, and forward Elton Brand, right. The Clippers halted a three-game losing streak, 112-97, Tuesday in Los Angeles.
"We needed a win bad and everyone stepped up," said McInnis, who was 10-of-15 from the field. "I've been playing in a rhythm for the last week or two."
The Clippers snapped their season-high losing streak just in time to hit the road Wednesday, where they play nine of their next 11 games.
"It feels good to stop the bleeding. Definitely that was a must-win," said Elton Brand, who had 16 points. "We lost two at home and we could have won both of them. After such a great start at home, it's good to get back on the right track."
Portland lost its season-high fifth in a row its longest stretch since losing five consecutive games from March 6-14 when the Blazers faded down the stretch.
"We've got to get this monkey off our backs. Hopefully it can start tomorrow, because it's not right, to keep losing all these games in a row," said Ruben Patterson, who had 18 points, seven rebounds and four steals. "I'm not pointing fingers. We've just got to play. That's the main thing. And until we start playing we're not going to win."
McInnis, who had nine assists, led the way on a night when the Clippers shot 58 percent and won without Lamar Odom and Michael Olowokandi. Odom missed his third straight game with a sprained right wrist; Olowokandi had food poisoning.
"We didn't play with Lamar and Mike and beat a solid Portland club," Brand said. "Once we get healthy we can be as good as we want to be."
Quentin Richardson added 19 points and Darius Miles had 17 for the Clippers, who are 6-5 without Odom.
Miles was 8-of-11 from the field, mostly on jumpers, a change from his usual style of dunking. Miles said he's still suffering from a viral infection that caused him to be sent home from practice Monday.
"It was just a good day, so I shot the ball," he said. "It's all the practice shooting I do with the assistant coaches."
The return of Scottie Pippen after missing 10 games with an injured right knee didn't boost the Blazers, who lost twice to the Clippers at Staples Center last season. He had nine points and nine assists in 30 minutes.
"Scottie's going to help us because he knows how to play and he knows how to keep guys involved. But we still have to be able to come out and play with some passion and play defense like we're capable of," Portland coach Maurice Cheeks said.
"We've shown it before, and then there are times when we just have slippage. We get down 15 points and then we have to try and come back. We do it all the time," he said.
Damon Stoudamire led the Blazers with 25 points, including 13 in the third quarter when Portland cut an 18-point deficit to six.
Down 72-54, the Blazers used full-court pressure to spark a 9-0 run in which Stoudamire hit a 3-pointer off a steal by Patterson.
Stoudamire scored eight of Portland's 10 points late in the quarter to get to 81-75, the closest they would get the rest of the game.
"Our biggest problem has probably been consistency, and a lot of that has to do with that mental mistakes and unforced errors," Portland center Dale Davis said.
"A lot of times we've been blowing assignments, so we just have to stay focused, just keep our concentration and play hard. Once we do that, we'll start winning. But until then, we're going to continue to struggle."
Miles scored seven of the Clippers' first eight points to start the fourth quarter and give them a 96-81 lead.
Even consecutive 3-pointers by Pippen, Stoudamire and Rasheed Wallace couldn't get Portland closer than 98-90 with 6:37 remaining. McInnis had eight of Los Angeles' final 14 points.
Notes: Olowokandi said he ate some bad seafood at a restaurant on New Year's Eve, earning him a rare DNP. He played in all 82 games last season. Clippers assistant Dennis Johnson had a rooting interest in the Fiesta Bowl. His nephew Steve Smith set a bowl record with three interceptions for winning Oregon. The Clippers attracted their fourth consecutive sellout crowd of 18,964, and eighth of the season.
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