No Baron Davis. No Marcus Camby. No Chris Kaman.
No problem. At least for tonight.
Second year man Al Thorton had 23 points and rookie Eric Gordon added 17 as the Clippers picked up a preseason win against FC Barcelona, 104-100. It was the second loss in as many nights for the visitors from Spain, who fell to the Lakers on Saturday night.
Gordon had 12 of his points in the fourth quarter, including two key driving lay-ups after Barcelona was within two points with 3:30 remaining, helping seal the victory for LA.
For the Clips, veteran Ricky Davis added 16 points while Cuttino Mobley and three-point specialist Steve Novak added 15 a piece. Thorton led the way on the boards with 11 for Los Angeles.
While other teams with key roster turnover are using the preseason to get players accustomed to one other, the Clippers are now five games into the preseason with Davis, Camby and Kaman having yet to have played together for one minute in a game. Both Davis and Camby have had the flu, but Davis also has a sprained ring finger on his right hand, for which he will see a specialist Monday. Camby has had a problem with his heel as well. Kaman was just given the game off for rest.
In a deep Western Conference where the Clippers are expected to be battling for one of the last playoff spots, injuries and a slow start could put Los Angeles in a deep hole.
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Despite the lack of star power, the Clippers are 4-1 in the preseason.
Ersan Ilyasova led Barcelona with 20 points while shoot-first point guard Jaka Lakovic came off the bench for 19.
