Los Angeles Clippers

Marcus Camby has undergone a relative transformation from seasons past in the first 15 games of the Clippers' 2009-10 season. And it has started with an apparent focus on things other than blocking shots and hoisting up long jumpers.

In Monday's home victory over the Timberwolves, Camby made plays that he's starting to make habit of -- such as looking to pass while receiving the ball near the foul line, throwing lobs to teammates, hustling after loose balls to gain possession and using quick hands to snipe at an opponent's dribble.

Granted, Camby's contributions were notable in the numbers department (12 points on 6-of-9 shooting, six offensive rebounds, 12 defensive rebounds, four assists, three steals, one block). But it seems that whenever he's able to make the plays that don't show up in a stat book this season, the Clippers have benefited and either won or come close to winning games.

Camby's apparent commitment to the team before himself is nice to see from an established veteran player on a young, revamped team. And if Camby can avoid trying to do too much off of the dribble (such as trying to go from 20 feet out to the basket through two or three defenders), he will be a great complement to the emerging scoring threat posed by Chris Kaman down low.

Camby and the Clippers will get their first chance at the scuffling Pacers (5-6, three straight losses) on Wednesday. The Clippers will enter the contest with a 6-9 record and two straight home victories.

CLIPPERS 91, TIMBERWOLVES 87: The Clippers first stifled Minnesota's Al Jefferson (13 points and eight turnovers) before setting their sights on the rest of the Timberwolves in the fourth quarter (14 total points) in a home victory.

Al Thornton had a season-high 31 points and 10 rebounds and found ways to get to the rim for easy scores in the second half as the Clippers slowly pulled away.

• G Sebastian Telfair is starting to look quite comfortable backing up Baron Davis. On a night where Davis couldn't get it going, Telfair was brilliant, scoring 17 points in 25 minutes.

• G/F Mardy Collins had an up-and-down game. In one sequence, he buried a turnaround jumper, then missed a difficult lay-up while leaning to the right before yelling in frustration and being on the wrong side of the court as Minnesota converted a fast break for two points. He finished with two points and three assists in 17 minutes.

Quote To Note:

"Coming out with the mentality and aggression, it's a combination of both. It was a great game, it was our getaway game, hopefully we can carry our momentum on the road."

Rotation:

Starters—Point guard Baron Davis, Shooting guard Ricky Davis, Small forward Al Thornton, Power forward Marcus Camby, Center Chris Kaman. Bench—Guard Sebastian Telfair, Forward Craig Smith, Guard/Forward Ricky Davis, Guard/Forward Mardy Collins, Forward Steve Novak.

Player Notes:

• G Eric Gordon dressed but did not play. Perhaps this is a sign that he's recovered enough from his groin injury to return to the team for a road contest at Indiana on Wednesday, his home state and where he played college basketball.

• C Chris Kaman did not become the focal point of the offense, as he often has in the second half. He was looking to pass out of double teams rather than attempting to create plays on his own.

• F Craig Smith again showed a burst of speed on his way to the hoop for a lay-up early. He could be hard to stop off the bench if teams continue to expect him to post up and he responds by zipping toward the bucket.

Medical Watch:

• G/F Kareem Rush (torn ACL in right knee) is out for the season.

• G Eric Gordon (left groin) is day-to-day.

• F Blake Griffin (stress fracture in left kneecap) is out until at least mid-December.

• C DeAndre Jordan sprained his ankle in practice Sunday. He is day-to-day.