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Corey Maggette got the Los Angeles Clippers off to a quick start. Elton Brand made sure they finished off the Charlotte Hornets.

Maggette scored 13 of his 15 points in the decisive first quarter and Brand collected 22 points and a season-high 19 rebounds as the Clippers defeated the Hornets for the first time in more than five years, 89-78.

Starting at guard, the 6-8 Maggette made 5-of-7 shots in the first quarter as he created matchup problems for Charlotte's small backcourt of Baron Davis and David Wesley and helped Los Angeles to a 29-21 lead.

The Clippers never trailed thereafter, leading by 15 points on two occasions. However, the Hornets closed to 65-58 after three quarters and within 82-76 with 2:52 to play on a 3-pointer by Davis, a Los Angeles native.

Charlotte could have gotten closer, but Davis missed two free throws with 2:01 remaining. A minute later, Brand sealed it with a jumper from the right side.

Brand made 10-of-12 shots as he overpowered defensive stalwart P.J. Brown and Robert Traylor in the post. In his last three games, he has averaged 23.3 points and 15.3 rebounds. He has led the Clippers on the boards in 14 straight contests.

Elton Brand had 22 points and 19 rebounds, and Jeff McInnis sank four free throws in the final 38 seconds as the Los Angeles Clippers beat the Charlotte Hornets 89-78 Sunday night.

Brand made 10 of 12 shots, helping the Clippers beat the Hornets for the first time in eight attempts. Lamar Odom added 14 points and seven assists for the Clippers, who returned to the .500 mark (10-10).

David Wesley scored 18 points for the Hornets, and Baron Davis had 16 points and 10 assists.

Trailing by 13 points with 5:10 remaining, the Hornets closed to 82-76 with a 21-footer by Wesley and a 3-pointer by Davis with 2:52 left. Odom's short baseline jumper was nullified by his offensive foul, but Davis missed two free throws at the other end. The Clippers closed it out with a 7-2 spurt.

McInnis set up an alley-oop dunk by Corey Maggette and added a layup 32 seconds later as the Clippers extended their 10-point halftime lead to 60-45 with 8:55 left in the third quarter. The Hornets got as close as 67-62 on a dunk by Lee Nailon with 9 1/2 minutes to play.

Maggette, matched up against Davis and getting a 3-inch height advantage, scored 13 of his 15 points during a 6:37 span of the first quarter to help the Clippers build a 36-21 lead 2 1/2 minutes into the second quarter.

Brand had 11 rebounds in the half, while center Michael Olowokandi played 15 minutes before getting his first rebound with 1:38 left in the second quarter. Olowokandi finished with nine rebounds.

Davis, trying to get his teammates involved on offense, recorded five assists before taking his first shot of the game -- a 3-pointer with 1:21 with left in the opening quarter.

Elton Brand finished with 22 points on 10- of-12 shooting and also grabbed 19 rebounds as the Los Angeles Clippers downed the Charlotte Hornets, 89-78, at the Staples Center. Corey Maggette chipped in 15 points for the Clippers, who have won three of their last four contests.

Lamar Odom added 14 points, seven assists, five rebounds and four blocks as the Clippers downed Charlotte for the first time since December 3, 1996.

David Wesley had 18 points to lead the Hornets, who had a two-game winning streak snapped. Baron Davis added 16 points and 10 assists in the win, while Elden Campbell chipped in 15 points and seven rebounds.

Charlotte cut the lead to 67-62 with a 10-4 run that ended with a Lee Nailon jumper with 9:31 left in the fourth quarter. Nailon had started the spurt with a jump shot with 5:45 left in the third period. However, the Clippers scored six straight points to get their lead back to double digits.

The Hornets would cut the lead to six points one more time after a Wesley jumper and a Davis three-pointer made the score 82-76 with 2:51 left. Brand then hit a baseline jumper with 1:00 minute left and Jeff McInnis sank a pair of free throws with 38 seconds left to seal the game.

The Clippers scored 10 straight points midway through the first quarter to grab an 18-9 advantage. Odom had six points in the spurt, while Maggette scored the other four. LA led 29-21 after one period of play.

LA outscored the Hornets 22-20 in the second quarter to take a 51-41 lead into the locker room. Maggette paced the Clippers with 13 points, while Wesley led Charlotte with 11. LA's biggest lead of the game came early in the second quarter when Quentin Richardson hit a three to put the Clippers ahead 36-21.

Game Notes

The Clippers (10-10) reached the .500 mark for the fourth time this season. However, they have yet to go one game over the plateau...LA has won 11 of its last 13 games against Eastern Conference opponents...The Clippers held a 44-26 edge in the points in the paint category...Brand's 19 boards tied a season high...McInnis finished with seven points and eight assists...The Hornets had won seven straight over the Clippers.