An order of bad sushi made all the difference today as LA Clippers upset the favored Charlotte 99-91. Newton had a huge game for LA Clippers, spoiling an otherwise solid performance by Charlotte star Gish in a game that could have post-season implications.

Charlotte apparantly had dinner together as team last night at a local sushi bar with most unfortunate results. Several team members spent the night in the hospital, while other team members got very little sleep as they rotated turns at their hotel room's toilets. The fatigue was evident from the beginning.

"You feel sorry for them," quipped LA Clippers coach Adnan Bislimovic. "That's a terrible thing to happen to anybody, but we had a job to do. There's no charity in this game." Charlotte coach Bob was apologetic to Charlotte fans. "Obviously we didn't see this coming, and I regret that we couldn't put a better product on the field today. I thought we still had enough to win, but it just wasn't going to happen."

LA Clippers was led by Newton (9 points, 5 boards, 16 assists, 2 steals, a block), Smith (24 points, 2 assists, a steal, 2 blocks), Jenkins (25 points, 6 boards, 2 assists). Charlotte was led by Gish (25 points, 6 boards, 1 assists), Starks (18 points, 2 steals), Sandercock (16 points).

LA Clippers jump to 18-11. They stay at #1 in the Pacific and remain at #3 overall in the Western Conference. Charlotte halted their tear at 5 games, and fall to 19-9 and 9-5 at home. They hold at #1 in the Southeast and hold at #2 overall in the Eastern Conference.

box score LA Clippers* roster Charlotte roster