Clips clinch winning record in November

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- When Mike Dunleavy looked at Los Angeles' schedule in the summer, then watched his team in training camp and figured the usually hapless Clippers would have a winning record in November.

He was right.

Elton Brand scored six of his 25 points in the final four minutes and finished with 13 rebounds, leading the Clippers to a 103-91 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Sunday.

The Clippers won their third straight to improve to 8-6. With one game remaining this month, Los Angeles is guaranteed to finish November with a winning record for the first time since 1992 and for just the second time in 30 years.

"I felt good about it, but I didn't know if we'd do it with the injuries we've had," Dunleavy said. "Obviously, other guys have come in and played very well for us. I don't think we've overachieved, but we've come together quicker maybe than anticipated.

"I mean, everybody's doing what I kind of envisioned them to do. But being so young and new to each other, I kind of felt like I'd see this a little bit further down the road. So this is a big positive for us right now."

The Clippers got double-figure scoring from all five starters. Bobby Simmons had 22 points and 10 rebounds, and Marko Jaric added 16 points and 11 assists.

"It was important for us to get off on the right track," Brand said. "We lost two overtime games, too, so the record could have even been better than what it is. We're taking good shots, we're sharing the ball and playing the right way most of the time. We just have to keep improving."

When Dunleavy took the job before last season, few believed he could turn around the moribund franchise.

"I think everybody acknowledged that," said Dunleavy's son, Mike Jr., who led the Warriors with 20 points. "But once he could make his imprint and get his guys to do what he wanted them to do and implement his system, you knew they would have a chance to be pretty good because they have some talent. They're on the upswing."

Los Angeles was without Corey Maggette, who sprained his left ankle in Friday's victory over the Warriors at Oakland. Kerry Kittles missed the game because of a sore right knee.

Troy Murphy and Jason Richardson each scored 17 points for the Warriors. But Speedy Claxton, coming off his first consecutive 20-point games for Golden State, finished with three points in 22 minutes.

Dunleavy and Derek Fisher each scored six points during a 16-5 run that cut Golden State's 21-point deficit to 97-87 with 4:27 to play. But the Warriors never got closer, as Brand scored the Clippers' next six points.

"We just played with some energy in the fourth quarter," Warriors coach Mike Montgomery said. "We started defending, getting into people, started chasing down balls and helping each other out and got some fast-break opportunities. Maybe they turned it in for the night -- it's possible."

Clippers center Chris Wilcox, limited to eight minutes in the first half because of foul trouble, scored seven of his 13 points during a 13-4 run that extended a five-point lead to 71-57 with 4:53 left in the third quarter. Simmons' 21-footer gave the Clippers a 20-point cushion about 3½ minutes later.

Simmons, who made eight of his first 10 shots and finished 10-for-15, powered Los Angeles to a 54-48 halftime lead with 18 points. He made consecutive 3-pointers and a layup in a 1:46 span, then set up Jaric 41 seconds later for a 3-pointer.

Quinton Ross added a layup and a pair of free throws that capped a 21-6 run and gave the Clippers a 48-35 lead with 5:14 left in the second quarter.

Game notes
Simmons began the day first in the league in free-throw percentage and seventh in field goal percentage. No player has finished a season among the top 10 in both categories since Boston's Kevin McHale in 1989-90. ... The Clippers began a seven-game homestand, their longest since an eight-game stretch Feb. 11-27 in which they were 1-7. One of those games was in Anaheim. ... The Clippers, who entered with a league-best .480 field goal percentage and a league-leading 24.15 assists per game, shot 53.2 percent and had 29 assists. ... The Clippers are 8-3 when holding opponents under 100 points. Last season, they were 20-21 in that department. ... Dunleavy Sr. is 5-2 in NBA games he's coached against his son. ... The Clippers have one game left this season with Golden State, on Jan. 29 at Los Angeles, and have a chance to complete their first season sweep of the Warriors since 1986-87 (5-0).