The Los Angeles Clippers beat the struggling Lakers 112-96 on Sunday night as their rookie Al Thornton scored 24 points, ten of them in the fourth quarter. Corey Maggette, who recorded his career-high 39 points against the Lakers last season, didn’t let Thornton get all the glory and scored 22 points.

"He's going to be a very nice player," Coach Mike Dunleavy said. "He's a rookie, so there will be some ups and downs with him. (Before the game) we ran over four or five plays with him, and he did fine with those. We don't want to overload him."

Jordan Farmar recorded 19 points, 5 assists and 6 rebounds for the Lakers. Andrew Bynum scored 16 and Kobe Bryant ammounted just 10 points while hitting 1 of 4 shots in 17 minutes of play.

Although the Clippers lost center Chris Kaman, who picked up his fifth foul with 5:23 left in the third quarter and the score board showing 77-68, the Lakers didn’t managed to come back and win the game. They have cut the lead at seven points on Maurice Evans' dunk with 4:08 left in the third, but in the fourth quarter Thornton, Cuttino Mobley and backup point guard Dan Dickau stepped up for the Clippers and led the team to victory.

Despite missing his first five shots, Mobley, who has just returned from a strained left calf, kept his cool and increased his team’s lead to 96-81 on a 15-footer and a driving lay up with 8:52 left of the game.

"I was a little scared because it was a little stiff, but you have to realize you are coming in and out. It's a burst of speed and an anxiety thing. I felt all right, though. I appreciate the minutes," Mobley said.