Gentry: No Substitute for Experience

The Clippers have lost their last five games, among them a disheartening three-point loss to the Boston Celtics on Thursday night. But Coach Alvin Gentry was fairly pleased after Saturday’s practice at Southwest College.

“It was a good, hard practice,” he said. “We worked on executing our offense better and we worked on our transition defense.”

Of the loss to the Celtics, Gentry said, “You can’t look back. It was another opportunity we let slip away.

“We are a young team, and there’s nothing like experience in this league. You need talent and experience, and we have young talent that is getting a chance to develop. What is important for us is to stay together.”

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Leading scorer Lamar Odom rode a stationary bicycle to get loose Saturday but did not practice. Gentry wanted him to rest his left wrist, which was sprained early in the season and has never completely healed. . . . Derek Strong did not practice because of flu. . . . Point guard Corey Maggette, the backup to starter Jeff McInnis, is sidelined because of a mild concussion suffered against the Atlanta Hawks. He can’t be activated until Saturday’s game against the Sacramento Kings.

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When Maggette returns, Gentry will have to find a roster spot for 5-foot-5 point guard Earl Boykins, who has provided a spark. Boykins played only seven minutes and scored only two points against Boston, but after eight games is averaging 16.9 minutes and 7.1 points. And he has been entertaining the fans.

“We hope we can keep him,” Gentry said. “We know he’s a fan favorite, but more than that, he’s a fan favorite who can play. He might look like your 12-year-old brother, but he’s a very good player.”

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Guard Keyon Dooling, 20, became a father Friday night. His fiancee, Natasha Smart, gave birth to 6-pound 8-ounce Deneal at UCLA Medical Center. Dooling said mother and daughter are doing fine. “I’m headed over to see them now,” he said after practice.

He said he and Smart, who met as sophomores at Dillard High in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., plan to marry this summer.

Boykins, 24, also recently became a father. His girlfriend, Keyan Mathews, gave birth to a son in November in Detroit.