Hawks humbled by Clippers

LOS ANGELES - The game was so lopsided, the Los Angeles Clippers' starters got to sit and watch about half of it.

• Photos

Back | Next

Back | Next

Cuttino Mobley scored 19 points, and reserve James Singleton had 13 points and 13 rebounds as the Clippers won their home opener Friday night, 92-77 over the Atlanta Hawks.

Mobley got his points in less than 30 minutes, and so did Singleton.

Another reserve, Chris Wilcox, scored 14 points in 22 minutes, and Sam Cassell and Elton Brand each had 12 points while playing about half the game.

"I told the guys before the game that if we want to make a statement, we have to come out and beat teams like this," Mobley said. "We are at home, and we are a new team. We have guys that can play, and we just need to go out there and show people that."

They certainly got off to an impressive start.

The Clippers led 20-8 less than 9 minutes into the contest, and the Hawks got no closer.

Los Angeles was up 26-15 by the end of the first quarter, 56-40 at halftime, and 76-51 after three periods, its biggest lead.

Salim Stoudamire topped Atlanta with 15 points, while Zaza Pachulia had 13 and Joe Johnson 10.

The Hawks are off to an 0-2 start for the third consecutive year.

"I don't think we came out and established anything early in the game," Atlanta coach Mike Woodson said. "The Clippers did about anything they wanted to do.

"Up until now, we had been competing. We just have to continue to work, go back to practice and work our way through it. We were so selfish offensively, tonight was a joke."

Mobley, who signed a five-year, $42 million free agent deal during the off-season, led the Clippers to their second win to begin the season.

Behind 35 points by Cassell, another newcomer, they defeated Seattle, 101-93 on Wednesday night.

"I like the way that guys are listening," Mobley said.

Cassell is pleased, too.

"It has been pleasant. We understand what we need to do," he said. "We are just playing good basketball, playing together and playing hard. The trust factor will come in time."

The Clippers drew a crowd of 16,813 fans for the opener, some 3,000 short of capacity.

The Hawks shot 35 percent for the game to the Clippers' 44 percent.

The Hawks closed to 28-20 early in the second quarter, but the Clippers pulled away again.

The win was the Clippers' fifth in a row over the Hawks. Los Angeles swept both games of the series the past two seasons.