Clippers end drought

LOS ANGELES — The Clippers' 30-year drought is over.

Cuttino Mobley and Corey Maggette each scored 23 points, Elton Brand added 21 points and 13 rebounds, and the Clippers took command in the third quarter to beat the Denver Nuggets 101-83 Monday night and win the first-round best-of-seven Western Conference series 4-1.

Mobley pumped his fists repeatedly in the final minute, and his teammates waved at the Staples Center fans, who stood and cheered as the final seconds ticked off.

The Clippers hadn't won a playoff series since 1976, when the team was playing in Buffalo and beat the Philadelphia 76ers in the opening round before losing to the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

The franchise moved to San Diego in 1978, then to Los Angeles in 1984. The Clippers are in the playoffs for just the seventh time in their 36-year history, only the fourth time since heading west, and the first time in nine years.

The four wins in these playoffs matched the total for the Clippers in their previous playoff appearances while playing in Los Angeles. The franchise was 13-22 in the postseason entering these playoffs, including 9-13 while playing in Buffalo.

The Clippers meet the winner of the Lakers-Suns series in the second round. The Lakers take a 3-1 lead into tonight's game in Phoenix.

Should the Clippers face the Lakers, it would be the first postseason meeting ever between Los Angeles teams in the NBA, NFL or major league baseball.

Chris Kaman and Sam Cassell scored 10 points apiece and Shaun Livingston had eight points and 14 assists for the Clippers. Maggette, Brand, Kaman and Livingston are making their postseason debuts this spring.

Carmelo Anthony scored 23 points, Greg Buckner added 20 and Andre Miller had 15 points, six rebounds and eight assists for the Nuggets.

The Nuggets were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs for the third straight year. They haven't won a postseason series since 1994.

The Nuggets shot 6-of-9 to start the third quarter while outscoring the Clippers 14-9 to draw within one point.

But that's as close as the Nuggets would get.

Maggette and Brand each scored six points and Mobley added four in a 20-3 run to finish the third period and start the fourth.

The Clippers led by as many as 25 points in the final period.

The Clippers outscored the Nuggets 17-8 to finish the second quarter for a 46-40 halftime lead, and they were on top the rest of the way.

The game was that close because Denver committed only one turnover to nine for Los Angeles. The Clippers outrebounded the Nuggets 29-19 and shot 44.4 percent to Denver's 34.7 percent.

The Clippers wound up shooting 50 percent to 37 percent for Denver, and outrebounded the Nuggets 48-41.