By ART THOMPSON III
The Orange County Register


OAKLAND -- There were no high-flying jams off lob passes. No spike follows off missed free throws. There was not a tomahawk dunk in sight.

"I'm usually the one doing all the dunking, but my knee and my shin hurt like heck,'' Clippers forward Darius Miles said.

So the Clippers went old-school Thursday on the Golden State Warriors, putting them out of their misery with one of the oldest plays in the game - the pick and roll.

All-Star forward Elton Brand harvested the bounty of assists by way of point guard Jeff McInnis. Brand scored 30 points as the Clippers kept their playoff train on track with a 116-96 victory over the Warriors in front of 13,568 at The Arena in Oakland.

The Clippers came out blazing, hitting 8 of 10 three-pointers in the first half, with Eric Piatkowski and Quentin Richardson the two busiest players behind the arc. But the Warriors hung tough until McInnis and Brand went to work with the pick and roll in the third quarter.

"We wore them down with that play,'' said McInnis, who had 13 assists, 18 points and just one turnover. "I was just trying to get the ball to Elton. We felt that they couldn't stop that.''

In winning for the ninth time in the past 12 games, the Clippers kept pace with the Utah Jazz, who lead them by 11/2 games for the final Western Conference playoff slot. The Clippers, who have won six of their past eight road games, have two games left to play with the Jazz - one at Staples Center and one in Salt Lake City. The 36 victories are the most the Clippers have had in a season since the 1996-97 playoff team finished 36-46.

"Good, bad or indifferent it doesn't matter,'' Clippers coach Alvin Gentry said. "We have to win games. But I was pleased that we played with purpose and great effort. We played aggressively, and we played smart. Elton was a monster.''

Brand took down 16 rebounds, 10 off the offensive glass. He also had four assists and smacked four Warrior shots out of the air.

Richardson and Miles combined for 29 of the reserves' 37 points.

The Warriors, losers of eight consecutive games and 18 of the past 20, were led by rookie Gilbert Arenas, who scored a season-high 32 points. Antawn Jamison, Golden State's top offensive player, was 9 of 21 from the floor but finished with 23 points and 15 rebounds.

BACKUP GUARDS

Gentry has been alternating using Earl Boykins and Doug Overton as the backup point guard. In games in which Boykins plays, Overton rarely gets off the bench and in games in which Gentry uses Overton, Boykins typically does not play.

"It all depends on the situation,'' Gentry said, explaining his use of the rotation. "It's why you have three point guards. Sometimes I feel Earl is a better fit, other times I go with Doug.''

The 5-foot-5 Boykins is the one Gentry turns to when he wants the tempo revved or when the Clippers are confronted with quick, bothersome guards. Overton, a 10-year NBA veteran, gets the call when teams are double teaming Brand or Olowokandi in the post and Gentry wants to spread the court.

NO SLEEP

Starting small forward Tremaine Fowlkes could have used some toothpicks to keep his eyes open. Other than a short nap Thursday afternoon, Fowlkes had not slept after the team arrived in Oakland on Wednesday. Fowlkes drove 90 minutes to Sacramento to be with his girlfriend, Naima Thomas, who was in labor with their first child.

Thomas gave birth to a son, Khalil Jahmal Fowlkes, at 2:34 a.m. Thursday. The baby weighed 7 pounds, 14 ounces. Khalil's father then drove back to Oakland in time for Thursday's shootaround before returning to the hotel for his nap.

"It's exciting,'' Fowlkes said. "Everything has been happening at one time for me, having a baby this season and getting called up to the NBA.''

Fowlkes left immediately after the game and drove back to Sacramento to visit with his girlfriend and their baby.