Dooling Makes Most of Rare Opportunity

The trade deadline passed Thursday and Keyon Dooling remained a Clipper. If it surprised him, he didn’t let it show. If it angered or pleased him, he also wasn’t about to let that be known.

“I wasn’t thinking about it,” Dooling said. “The deadline’s come and gone. I’m not going to say anything that would be detrimental to the team. I want to play basketball here.”

Cemented to the bench for much of the season, Dooling told his agent to stop daily updates on trade possibilities before the deadline. When the Clippers didn’t trade him, Dooling simply went about his business.

For one game, that meant helping the Clippers win. Averaging 4.2 points and 1.9 assists in 15.2 minutes, Dooling got extended minutes after Quentin Richardson was ejected in the first quarter of the Clippers’ 102-100 victory Thursday over the Boston Celtics.

Dooling had 16 points on five-for-11 shooting in 32 minutes, two points shy of his season-best 18 in a Nov. 19 game against the Indiana Pacers.

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Elton Brand explained the Clippers’ inability to maintain a double-digit lead down the stretch against Boston this way: “Lack of execution. Turnovers. Just ridiculous.”

Brand had a season-best 39 points, took 11 rebounds and set the screen that freed Eddie House for the go-ahead basket.

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Bobby Simmons continues to make progress from a sprained left hip but is not expected to be activated from the injured list until next week. On the list since Jan. 18, Simmons said, “I’ve done a lot of shooting and my rhythm is coming back.”

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TONIGHT

at Milwaukee, 5:30 PST, Channel 5

Site -- Bradley Center.

Radio -- XTRA (690/1150).

Records -- Clippers 23-30, Bucks 28-25.

Record vs. Bucks -- 1-0.

Update -- The Clippers defeated the Bucks, 93-83, on Dec. 17 at Staples Center but have lost five consecutive games at Milwaukee, dating to Feb. 23, 1997. Michael Redd, a first-time All-Star, leads Milwaukee with an average of 22 points. The Bucks acquired Keith Van Horn from the New York Knicks in a three-team deal on Sunday. This is the 10th game out of the last 11 away from Staples Center for the Clippers. They are 3-6 in the first nine games of that span. They also play Dallas and New Orleans on this three-game trip.