Nesby, Smith Rewarded With Start

Small forward Tyrone Nesby and shooting guard Charles Smith have impressed Coach Chris Ford so much with their effort since training camp that they’ll be rewarded with their first starts of the year tonight at Houston.

Nesby, the Clippers’ leading scorer in two of their last three games, and Smith, who saw his first action of the season at Dallas on Tuesday, will replace Lamond Murray and Eric Piatkowski in the starting lineup.

“I’ve been trying to alter the lineup to get us going and hopefully these young guys will give us some energy,” Ford said Wednesday. “We need to play with a little more passion and with some fight.”

The 0-13 Clippers are within three defeats of tying the franchise record for losses to begin a season and four of Miami’s league mark of 17, set in 1988-89. Still, Ford is far from throwing in the towel.

“I would have just hoped that the guys had gotten acquainted with our system a lot easier,” Ford said. “Hopefully, eventually, we’ll all be on the same page here.”

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With the NBA trade deadline fast approaching, the Clippers would seem like a good candidate to make some moves.

Milwaukee Coach George Karl, whose team has been rumored to be seeking a big man in exchange for point guard Terrell Brandon, said you have to be careful before making a trade with a team like the Clippers.

“Some of [the Clippers] are probably gettable, but why do you want to pick up a player off a team that’s not winning?” Karl said. “You don’t have enough time to figure out the psychology of the personality of the player you’re getting.”

TONIGHT at Houston, 5:30 PST

Fox Sports West 2

* Site--Compaq Center.

* Radio--KCTD (1540).

* TV--Fox Sports West 2.

* Records--Clippers 0-13; Rockets 8-7.

* Record vs. Rockets (1997-98)--0-4.

* Update--Houston has defeated the Clippers seven consecutive times but is coming off losses to the Lakers and San Antonio. After sitting out two weeks because of a knee injury, Charles Barkley is back in the lineup and had 16 points against the Spurs. Former USC standout Rodrick Rhodes came off the injured list and played against San Antonio.