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Jazz Is All That to Clippers

Times Staff Writer

John Stockton is retired, living in Spokane.

Karl Malone is a Laker.

And Elton Brand was back on the court for the Clippers, playing for the first time after sitting out 13 games because of a broken foot.

None of it stopped the Utah Jazz from continuing its mastery of the Clippers on Friday night. The Clippers’ 86-67 loss in front of 17,965 in the Delta Center was their 18th in their last 19 games against the Jazz, their 28th in their last 29 games at Salt Lake City and their 24th in 25 games in the Delta Center.

The defeat, their seventh in nine games, matched the Clippers’ most lopsided of the season. And only a three-point basket by Marko Jaric with less than one second to play kept them from equaling a franchise low for points in the 25-plus seasons since they moved from Buffalo, N.Y., before the 1978-79 season.

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“There’s not much to say other than we stunk,” Coach Mike Dunleavy told reporters after the Clippers made only 35.7% of their shots, failing to make at least 40% for the eighth time in nine games.

Even without Stockton and Malone, who played 18 seasons together in Utah, the Jazz has lost only once, to the Sacramento Kings, in 11 home games.

And led by forward Matt Harpring, who scored 20 points on six-for-11 shooting, and point guard Raul Lopez, who had nine assists, the Jazz led from beginning to end, the Clippers getting no closer than 5-4.

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Corey Maggette, who last summer signed a six-year, $42-million offer sheet with the Jazz that was matched by the Clippers, scored 15 points. But among the Clippers only Brand, who scored 13 in 19 minutes, earned praise from Dunleavy.

“I wasn’t happy about anybody’s play, other than Elton because he’s been out,” the coach said. “He gave us a good effort. Everybody else stunk.”

Dunleavy found fault with the Clippers’ shot selection and competitiveness, calling them “soft.”

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Quentin Richardson made three of 19 shots, one of nine from beyond the three-point arc, and center Predrag Drobnjak had one rebound in 21 minutes. Rookie Chris Kaman made two of eight shots. The Clippers had only 13 assists.

Brand, meanwhile, made four of six shots, five of seven free throws and took three rebounds in his first game since opening night.

He did not start, entering the game at the start of the second quarter with the Clippers trailing by five points. When he came back again midway through the third, they were down by 16.

Though disappointed in the result, he said, “Physically, it wasn’t bad. The foot felt great. Conditioning-wise, I’m a little tired.”

He had resumed practicing only Tuesday, after X-rays showed that his broken right foot had healed, and said after the Friday morning shoot-around that he probably would not play.

But then he stayed behind for extra work with Johnny Doyle, the club’s strength and conditioning coach, and Neil Olshey, director of player development.

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Back at the hotel, he phoned Dunleavy and said he was ready.

“He says, ‘Coach, I feel pretty good; I’d like to go tonight if you could use me,’ ” Dunleavy said. “I was like, ‘Let me think. I think I might be able to do that.’ ”

Said Brand: “He feels that -- and I agree -- being on the court in a game is the best way to get the conditioning because we don’t have a lot of practices coming up, and it’s a pretty big stretch for us.”

Starting Sunday, the Clippers play the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Kings and the Dallas Mavericks, West powers all, over four days.

On the plus side, they don’t play the Jazz again until January.

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Bobby Simmons, dubbed “Phantom of the Opera” by Richardson, was fitted for a plastic protective mask after suffering a broken nose Thursday in practice. But he ditched it a few minutes into the morning shoot-around, saying he couldn’t breathe with it on, and made his first start as a Clipper without it. “It’s not comfortable at all,” said Simmons, who had six points and three rebounds in 28 minutes. But he said he would get it adjusted to fit better and that he planned to wear it for about a month.

Eddie House, who suffered a sprained left foot Monday night, was put on the injured list to clear a spot for Brand on the active roster.

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