Clippers Win Again, 101-89

This is hardly uncharted territory for the Clippers. There have been moments in the past where the future seemed to shine a little, before darkness descended.

Yet there is an undercurrent in the Clipper locker room that a harmonic convergence is upon them.

A young team got a little older, a little more confident and, maybe, a little more ambitious after pasting the Toronto Raptors, 101-89, in front of an announced 14,985 at Staples Center on Tuesday.

“When was the last time you saw the Clippers blowing teams out like this?” said guard Marko Jaric, who had a team-high 23 points to go with eight assists and seven rebounds.

When indeed.

The Clippers have won three of their last four games and are 5-3 after eight games, their best start since 1995-96, when they also won five of their first eight -- something they have done without two projected starters, guard Kerry Kittles and center Chris Kaman.

Coach Mike Dunleavy deflects those facts by pointing out it’s still early. But even Dunleavy has a touch of eagerness.

“Our goal, somewhat of a lofty goal, is we want to make the playoffs,” Dunleavy said. “If we can play the way we played in stretches, make those really long stretches, you never know.”

The Clippers stretched things Tuesday, enduring an early Vince Carter highlight reel before taking over the show. Jaric, who made nine of 15 shots, had center ring by the end, directing a group effort

Corey Maggette made seven of 12 shots and scored 22 points, 16 in the first half to counter Carter’s 17. Elton Brand had 19 points, eight during a 15-0 first-quarter run that gave the Clippers the lead, which they never relinquished. Chris Wilcox scored 14, and Bobby Simmons 10.

All of which got the Clippers off to a good start in a stretch where they play 12 of 13 games at Staples Center.

“This is a huge stretch for us,” Wilcox said. “It’s like if you go to someone else’s home, you don’t feel right. You want people to come to your house, where you feel comfortable.”

The Clippers found their comfort zone early in the second half. They took a 53-47 lead into halftime, then grasped the game firmly in the third quarter. The Raptors made only five of 21 shots in the third quarter. The Clippers led, 82-59, at the end of the quarter and led by as many as 26 points in the fourth quarter.

“We’re playing good defense, making the big plays and are blowing people out,” Brand said. “It’s a good thing.”

The Raptors began the game with more than a little uncertainty, given the state of the relationship between Carter and Coach Sam Mitchell.

Carter has spent considerable time watching close games in the fourth quarter in recent games. He has also had to listen to a growing number of trade rumors, the latest of which have him New Orleans-bound.

Carter began Tuesday’s game as if he was showcasing his abilities. Either that, or he wanted to get what he could early in case he became a fourth-quarter spectator again.

He made his first five shots and scored 11 of the Raptors’ first 15 points. That proved to be a short-term fix for Toronto.

Carter’s 21-footer gave the Raptors a 15-8 lead 3:56 into the game. They didn’t score again for nearly five minutes. The Clippers went on a 15-0 run, with Brand scoring eight, displaying skills inside -- a nine-foot turnaround jumper to start the run -- and outside -- a 16-foot jumper that ended the run with the Clippers leading, 23-15.

The Clippers coaxed that lead to halftime, keeping the lead between two and eight points, then lowered the boom in the second half.

“I think everyone looked at the Clipper teams of the past and just assumed it was going to be the same,” Brand said. “We knew differently.”