When forward Al Thornton performs well, so, for the most part, do the Clippers.
"The bottom line for us right now is that when Al has a big game, we win," Coach Mike Dunleavy said. "Corey [Maggette] is giving us his numbers and you get numbers from other guys.
"We are missing what we are normally missing from Elton [Brand] and when you get that from Al, we win."
Thornton has scored at least 20 points in eight games this season, seven coming in the new year.
The Clippers are 5-3 in those games.
Mike Dunleavy wrote:"He's a rookie, he's doing a lot of good things for us, but you wouldn't necessarily expect that to be there every night. It's just not going to happen, but it's happened more frequently for us, which is a good thing.
"He's got great body control. He's always able to avoid a charge and get fouled. Right now, I don't think he's getting foul calls he deserves. He's doing a great job of hanging onto that ball for a long time after contact happens and then still trying to finish."
Chris Kaman wrote:"We've got to keep playing and keep fighting and maybe get [Thornton] more opportunities and more touches and make him better," Kaman said. "He's been playing well lately. I think we just need to work on stuff. You don't ever want to give up."
LA Times
