Brand could affect tight race in the West

Elton Brand returning on the road when he did was a surprise. There will be no such surprise when he makes his home debut Sunday against the Houston Rockets.

It is the last stretch of games for the Clippers -- three at home and three on the road -- wrapping up an injury-riddled and ultimately disappointing season.

They can, however, play spoilers.

All six games -- two against Houston, plus single games against the Denver Nuggets, Lakers, Golden State Warriors and New Orleans Hornets -- come against Western Conference teams still jockeying for playoff positioning.

But Brand insisted that was not among the reasons for his returning so late in the season from a ruptured Achilles’ tendon.

“I’m not in it to be a spoiler,” Brand said. “I’m in it to win games. If it happens to affect the seedings, then it happens.”

In two games, Brand is averaging 19 points and five rebounds to go along with some rust, but also a surprising amount of fluidity.

He went through only two full practices, a combination of a lack of off days and a shortage of healthy players affecting his chances to get to know new teammates’ tendencies.

“I didn’t have practice time, I wish I had a better feel for what they like to do,” he said. “But Coach has us prepared and these guys are playing their hearts out.”

There could be quite a response when Brand checks into Sunday’s game, which is expected to be a sellout.

“I could tell a lot of fans are excited just by seeing the Clipper fans on [the last trip],” he said. “They were showing a lot of love and support.”

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He may not be the most agile athlete. Or graceful. But rookie Nick Fazekas is making a good impression during his short Clippers tenure.

He has grabbed at least seven rebounds in four games since joining the Clippers, including a high of 10 in a loss to the Dallas Mavericks, who had drafted Fazekas in the second round of last year’s draft before waiving him.

The forward, first signed to two 10-day contracts and then for the remainder of the season, has a knack for being in the right place at the right time.

He scored a career-high 18 points in a 110-98 loss on Thursday to the Sacramento Kings.

His future with the team is still up in the air. He becomes a free agent at season’s end and will probably play in the team’s summer league.

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jonathan.abrams@latimes.com