LOS ANGELES, Calif. (AP) -- Al
Thornton scored six of his 20 points over the final 1:23 and DeAndre
Jordan had 16 points and nine rebounds to lead the Los Angeles Clippers
to a 91-88 victory over the New Orleans Hornets on Friday night in the
preseason finale for both teams.
The Clippers (6-1), who were 19-63 in an injury-plagued 2008-09, open the regular season Tuesday night against the Lakers.
Clippers forward Blake Griffin, the first overall pick in the draft,
had eight points and six rebounds in 26 minutes. He finished the
preseason averaging 13.7 points and 8.1 rebounds, and is expected to
start in the opener because of Marcus Camby's sprained left ankle.
Peja Stojakovic led New Orleans (2-6) with 19 points and David West had 18.
The Hornets, who have eight new players on their roster, open the
season Wednesday at San Antonio. New Orleans was 7-0 in the preseason
last year, a springboard to a 49-33 record that resulted in their first
Southwest Division title. But they lost to Denver in the first round of
the playoffs, tying an NBA postseason record with a 58-point loss in
Game 4.
The Clippers, 2 of 14 from 3-point
range through the first three quarters, took a 66-65 lead into the
fourth. Baron Davis hit a 3 to give Los Angeles a 73-67 lead with 9:32
to play, and Craig Smith converted two offensive rebounds into a dunk
and a layup 27 seconds apart, increasing the margin to 79-70 with 7:17
left.
The Hornets closed to 79-77 on a
3-pointer by Bobby Brown and a short jumper by West with 4:07
remaining, but that was as close as they got. Thornton helped seal the
win with a 19-footer and two free throws, giving Los Angeles an 86-80
lead with 46.4 seconds to go.
Hornets point
guard Chris Paul missed his second straight game because of an upper
respiratory problem and forward Ike Diogu sat out with a left knee
strain. Center Emeka Okafor, who sprained a toe on his right foot
during the first day of training camp, didn't play during the preseason.
NOTES:
The replacement referees called 41 fouls and a technical against Darius
Songaila. Things will be back to normal on opening night, because the
NBA and its referees union reached agreement Friday night on a two-year
contract -- ending a lockout that lasted more than a month. ... Byron
Scott, who enters this season with a .500 record as an NBA head coach
(349-349), is eight victories from breaking Paul Silas' franchise
record of 207 regular-season wins. Clippers counterpart Mike Dunleavy
is eight wins from 600. ... Darren Collison, the Hornets' first-round
draft pick out of UCLA, had six points in 14 minutes. He finished the
preseason with 44 points and 17 assists in 96 minutes.
