LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles Clippers are professionals. They have a payroll of approximately $57 million per year and are well-versed with dealing with an 82-game basketball schedule.

Yet it is only human to be unfocused in the game following the loss of Shaun Livingston to one of the ugliest injuries the NBA has ever seen. So the Los Angeles Clippers should get some sort of credit for winning a third consecutive game with a 96-91 victory over the Seattle SuperSonics on Wednesday night.

The Los Angeles Clippers Corey Maggette made two free throws with 27.6 seconds left to give the Los Angeles Clippers a 93-91 lead, which they held down the stretch and added three free throws for the final score.

"With his injury, he's with us," Elton Brand said. "We're not putting it behind us because he's with us. If anybody can rehab from it, I know he can. He's young and has a great will. We didn't want to dedicate this game to him because anything less than a blowout wouldn't have been enough."

The Los Angeles Clippers went up by as many as 12 points in the second quarter, but Seattle recovered to lead 75-74, heading into the fourth quarter.

Fourth-quarter defense was key as the Los Angeles Clippers held the Sonics to 3 of 14 shooting (21.4 percent) in the quarter and just 16 points.

But the win could come with a price. The teams rematch tonight in Seattle, and how Sam Cassell (abdominal strain), Cuttino Mobley (strained groin) and Tim Thomas (back spasms) respond is anybody's guess.

"Sometimes, you're guessing whether they're telling you the truth, saying `I'm fine. I'm fine,"' coach Mike Dunleavy said. "Then you see them dragging their leg up the court. I was limited on minutes with how much they were supposed to play, but I went over on all of these guys."

But to put in perspective how they're feeling, Mobley said, "Working 9 to 5 is tough. Getting up at early in the morning, 5 o'clock, to feed your kids -- that's tough."

Meanwhile the Los Angeles Clippers are trying to figure out how to recover from losing Shaun Livingston, who averaged 29.8 minutes per game. Sam Cassell figures to log in more minutes at point guard, but he strained his right groin Wednesday to go along with his abdominal strain and is questionable for tonight's game.

Sam Cassell played 34 minutes and had 16 points, five assists and five rebounds. As for the backup to Sam Cassell, Daniel Ewing logged in 13 minutes and had four assists and two points.

The logistics of who would take Shaun Livingston's minutes was into play Wednesday. But the mental aspect of adapting to the loss of him and how gruesome it also was into play. In a shockingly unnatural fall, Shaun Livingston dislocated his left knee and kneecap and tore his anterior cruciate ligament, posterior cruciate ligament, medial collateral ligament and lateral meniscus.

With that happening to their teammate and friend just two days prior, the Los Angeles Clippers tried their best to focus on the Sonics.

"The only thing I have in my mind right now is seeing Shaun Livingston coming back and playing for the Los Angeles Clippers," Dunleavy said.

"Clearly. I believe that's what he can do, and that's the only way I'm going to think about it. And hopefully, that gets across to him and everybody else."

CLIPPERS NOTES: The Los Angeles Clippers have been besieged by well wishes for Shaun Livingston. A spokesman said the best way to send him get-well wishes is to e-mail clippernation@clippers.com with "Get well Shaun" in the subject line. ... The team signed point guard Will Conroy to a 10-day contract and released shooting guard Von Wafer. Conroy had been averaging 15.2 points and 10.8 assists with Tulsa in the NBA Development League.

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