Clippers 102, Grizzlies 100

LOS ANGELES (AP) Dennis Johnson is going back to basics with the Los Angeles Clippers.

``The No. 1 priority for them is learning to play unselfish basketball and understanding that it's a team game,'' the interim head coach said.

``If we can do that, there's no doubt in my mind that we can be an excellent ballclub not a very good ballclub, but an excellent ballclub because we have the horses to do it.''

The Clippers beat Memphis 102-100 on Sunday night, their fourth victory in 15 games since Johnson took over the team following the firing of Alvin Gentry.

``I'm as happy as anybody could be,'' Johnson said. ``We held up down the stretch against matters that normally knock us off the pedestal. I'm glad the guys pulled through.''

Corey Maggette scored six of his 18 points in the final 3:19 to help the Clippers win for only the sixth time in 28 games and snap a four-game losing streak.

The Clippers' makeshift forward line of Sean Rooks, Lamar Odom and Cherokee Parks was outscored 61-26 by Memphis counterparts Mike Miller, Pau Gasol and former Clipper Lorenzen Wright.

``It's been tough for us, not having an inside presence,'' Clippers guard Eric Piatkowski said. ``It makes a really big difference especially for a player like myself, because I really feed off of guys double-teaming our big guys.

Center Michael Olowokandi, an unrestricted free agent, has voiced his displeasure about not getting a lucrative contract extension. He missed five games in December with a chronically sore left knee, and has been sidelined since Jan. 29 because of a left knee sprain that required exploratory surgery.

``Michael Olowokandi should have surgery in the summertime. Then he probably would have been healthy the entire season,'' Piatkowski said. ``When he's healthy and playing well, every single team he plays against double-teams him.''

Elton Brand has missed 18 games because of a stress fracture in his lower left leg.

``You've really got to hand it to Elton because he played practically the entire season with a stress fracture in his leg,'' Piatkowski said. ``Not very many guys would do that and he still played fantastic. So if we had those two guys healthy all season, that would have made a huge difference.''

Miller scored 29 points for the Grizzlies, and Gasol had 19 points and 12 rebounds.

Miller made his fifth consecutive 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 99-98 with 50 seconds left, but missed another 3 with a second left. Memphis had one more chance, but Wesley Person missed a 19-footer from the right baseline at the buzzer.

``We executed what we wanted to run,'' coach Hubie Brown said. ``When it came down to the last two shots that we needed, we got two good shots.''< ^Notes:@ Maggette had a career-high 34 points against the Grizzlies in a 116-111 loss on Jan. 3 in Memphis. ... Los Angeles' Quentin Richardson had seven points in 17 minutes after missing the previous three games because of a bruised tendon in his left knee.

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)