Clippers Can’t Nail Ending

They were back at full strength, or so they thought.

They were playing a team that couldn’t win on the road, or so the events of the last five weeks had seemed to suggest.

But despite overcoming a 10-point deficit in the last 1:59 of regulation to force overtime, the Clippers lost Sunday night to the Memphis Grizzlies, 108-107, in front of 13,618 in Staples Center.

Corey Maggette, back in the lineup after serving a two-game suspension for fighting, missed a shot that would have given the Clippers the lead in the final seconds of overtime, his driving layup bouncing off the rim.

Lorenzen Wright took the rebound with 1.8 seconds to play and the Grizzlies, who’d lost eight of 10 overall, ended an eight-game road losing streak.

“I like the fact that we didn’t give up in the game,” said Clipper Coach Mike Dunleavy, who had to go to Plan B after starting guard Quentin Richardson begged out because of a sprained right hand after missing all three of his shots in 15 scoreless minutes. “Guys really played hard in the fourth quarter to give us the opportunity in overtime; we executed very well to do that.

“But the last couple plays in overtime ... we just didn’t deliver.”

The Clippers, who trailed through the last three quarters of regulation, were clinging to a 107-106 lead when Marko Jaric, thinking he saw center Chris Kaman open underneath the basket, had a bounce pass intercepted by Wright.

At the other end, Shane Battier made an 11-foot pull-up jumper from the right side with 15.6 seconds left, providing the final margin.

But the Clippers still had a chance. On a pick and roll, Kaman rolled to the basket and was wide open, waving for the ball. Jaric, however, instead delivered the pass to a cutting Maggette, who knifed through two defenders before shooting.

“We run that offense for Corey,” Jaric said. “Before that, I made the turnover [on the previous possession], so I didn’t want to make another bad move. So, I threw the pass for Corey. They bumped him a couple of times over there, but I think we executed very well. The ball didn’t [go] in, but ... “

But Kaman was open.

“Obviously, they’re both a part of the play, either one, depending on the help situation,” Dunleavy said. “If Corey’s man helps out, it’s for Corey. If Corey’s man doesn’t help out, that means Kaman’s wide open. He was wide open.”

It was a disappointing outcome for the Clippers and especially for Jaric, whose season-high 23 points included the last five in regulation, turning a 100-95 Clipper deficit into a 100-100 tie, and a three-point basket in overtime.

He had eight assists.

“When you lose,” he said, “you don’t really care about that.”

Maggette scored 21 points, but missed 11 of 18 shots. Elton Brand had 17 points and 12 rebounds before fouling out in overtime.

For the Grizzlies, who hadn’t won on the road since Dec. 3, reserve forward Stromile Swift scored 24 points. Pau Gasol scored 18, James Posey 17.

Maggette, of course, was eager to play again after sitting out because of his Tuesday night altercation with Kenyon Martin of the New Jersey Nets.

But so were the Grizzlies, who last week had games at Portland and Utah postponed because of a winter storm and had played only once since Jan. 3, losing Friday night at Seattle.

They missed their first four shots and trailed, 8-0, before rallying behind Swift, who punished the Clippers inside, making seven of nine shots and scoring 20 points in the first half despite playing only 14 minutes.

The Clippers gave up 40 points in the paint in the first two quarters and trailed by 12 points late in the second before closing to 54-49 at halftime. They rallied twice more, but the last fell a point short.

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Doug Overton sat out because of a sprained left foot, suffered Wednesday at Philadelphia. His foot was throbbing after Friday’s game at Toronto, he said, and swelled up on the flight home.