On the night the Los Angeles Clippers got Baron Davis back after missing four games with a sore left knee, they got some bad news as well, as center Chris Kaman sprained his left ankle. Kaman, who rolled his ankle in the first quarter after stepping on Chris Paul's foot, will not return tonight. The Hornets lead the Clippers at halftime in New Orleans,48-41.
Kaman has struggled this season, shooting just 36.5% from the field, averaging 12.7 points and 8.6 rebounds in seven games before tonight. He played in 76 games last season, but he missed 51 games in 2008-2009, 48 of those with a sore left foot. Kaman also missed 26 games in the 2007-2008 season.
The Hornets started well out of the gate, building a 22-7 lead early, and even led by 13 points with 4:55 remaining in the second quarter. However, the Clippers went on a 13-3 run to cut the lead to three points, led by Al-Farouq Aminu and Craig Smith. However, the Hornets scored the final four points of the half to push their lead to seven points. Aminu led the Clippers with 11 first-half points, making three of his four field-goal attempts, including one three pointer, and all four free throws.
Davis played six minutes in the first half, scoring four points and dishing out two assists.Blake Griffin had five points and three rebounds in 15 minutes, but also picked up three personal fouls. Marco Belinelli led the Hornets with 11 points in the first 24 minutes, while point guard Chris Paul had nine points and four assists.
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