Martin Shows Some Zing, Shoots Back

DALLAS —  The courtside heckler wouldn’t let up on Clipper guard Darrick Martin.

“Hey, Darrick, you can’t shoot!” the man seated across from the Dallas Maverick bench shouted at Martin, who is shooting a career-low 39.1%.

On this night, anyway, Martin could shoot. He made five three-point field goals to tie his career best and scored 18 points, one under his season best, as the Clippers defeated the Mavericks, 99-92, Tuesday night at Reunion Arena.

“He kept telling me that I couldn’t score and that I was lucky,” said Martin, who had made three of four three-points shots in the second quarter. “He just kept talking to me and all it did was add fuel to the fire.

“Anybody that knows me knows I said a few things back to him.”

Martin, demoted from the starting lineup 11 games into the season, said he never lost his confidence.

“Why would I lose my confidence?” Martin asked. “I know I can play. We started off bad. You’re supposed to make changes when you start off bad. I still believe I can start and play big minutes, if necessary. . . . Confidence is something I don’t lack.”

Martin made two of three three-point shots and scored seven points in the final quarter as the Clippers, who scored a total of 32 points in the fourth quarters of their last two games, outscored the Mavericks, 28-23, in the final 12 minutes.

“We had a small letdown in the fourth quarter when they made a nice run,” said forward Lamond Murray, who had 17 points and nine rebounds. “We knew they were going to make a run at some point in the game, but we held our ground and came back.”

The Clippers began to fall apart in the third quarter.

Leading by 15 points at 70-55, the Clippers were outscored, 14-1, in the final 4:34 of the third quarter as the Mavericks made it 71-69 on Samaki Walker’s layup with 2.6 seconds remaining in the period.

The Clippers missed their final seven shots of the quarter--Pooh Richardson missed three of them--and finished six for 21 (28.6%) in the period.

But the Clippers didn’t fold, holding on to win for the fourth time in 20 games.

Leading, 87-84, the Clippers outscored the Mavericks, 12-8, in the last three minutes for the second win in 10 road games.

“It was really nice because it seems like almost every game comes down to the fourth quarter,” said swingman Eric Piatkowski, who made two free throws with 11.4 seconds left for the final margin. “We’d lose the lead in the fourth quarter and we just haven’t been able to pull one out.

“But tonight some guys stepped up and made shots and that was nice.”

After watching the Clippers shoot 25% in the final quarter of Sunday night’s 100-92 loss at Denver, Coach Bill Fitch altered his starting lineup, benching center Stojko Vrankovic.

Lorenzen Wright moved from forward to center and Murray, a reserve for the last four games, started at forward.

Fitch said he didn’t use backup center Keith Closs and Vrankovic because the Mavericks used a small lineup.

“If I based the starting lineup on how the last game went, we probably would have had new uniforms,” Fitch said. “But I’m sure we’re going to need [Closs and Vrankovic, tonight against San Antonio Spur center David Robinson], so the odds are very unlikely that those guys will get to go to the beach tomorrow.”

Wright, who had 13 points and 11 rebounds, had five points and two rebounds in the final quarter and Murray had four points and three rebounds in the final 12 minutes.

Martin was sent into the game with 1:47 remaining in the first quarter because Richardson was unable to contain guard Khalid Reeves--he had 19 of his 28 points in the first half. Martin scored 11 points in the second quarter as the Clippers took a 54-45 halftime lead.