Ejection of Clippers’ Taylor Works to Seattle’s Advantage

Clipper rookie forward Maurice Taylor has a snarling Rottweiler with his nickname, “Big Mo,” tattooed on his left arm, and he doesn’t back down from anyone.

Taylor, who confronted Utah Jazz forward Karl Malone in a game last month, was ejected from Tuesday night’s 109-94 loss to the Seattle SuperSonics with 7:03 remaining in the fourth quarter after a confrontation with SuperSonic forward Vin Baker before 6,272 at the Sports Arena.

Referee Bennett Salvatore ejected Taylor, putting an instant halt to his game-long verbal battle with Baker.

Taylor, who yelled at the officials as he stormed off the court, said he may be a rookie but he isn’t timid.

“It was just basketball,” Taylor said. “I don’t back down from anyone.”

Baker said Taylor should have kept his mouth shut.

“He was talking a lot and he’s too young to be talking that much in this league,” Baker said. “He doesn’t want to have to spend his money like that this early in his career.”

Clipper Coach Bill Fitch thought the technical was undeserved.

“I doubt if [Charles] Barkley or anybody else would have been kicked out on the same happenstance,” Fitch said. “The taunting wasn’t that big of a deal.”

Losing Taylor, who made all five shots he took and had 15 points and four rebounds, forced the Clippers to play forward Rodney Rogers, who missed Sunday’s loss to the SuperSonics because of a bruised right leg, for 11 minutes in the final quarter.

SuperSonic forward Dale Ellis, who missed nine of 10 shots in Sunday’s six-point win over the Clippers, made eight of 14 shots and scored 23 points.

“He’s too old to be playing in this league,” Fitch said of Ellis, 37. “They ought to ban him. If a guy gets that old they ought to put him out to pasture.’

Gary Payton, coming off a 21-point, 14-assist performance against the Clippers, had 25 points and six assists.

The SuperSonics caught the Clippers in the slow lane.

The Clippers had 24 turnovers, which the SuperSonics converted into 26 points.

Brent Barry, who made five three-point shots and scored 21 points, made a 26-foot three-point jump shot at the end of the third quarter as the Clippers cut the deficit to seven.

Darrick Martin, who had 12 points and four assists before fouling out of Sunday’s game at Seattle, jump-started the Clippers after he replaced Eric Piatkowski with 4:18 remaining in the first quarter.

Martin made two consecutive three-points shots and scored eight consecutive points during an 11-0 spurt that covered 1:57 as the Clippers tied the score at 21-21.

Martin, who made four of five shots, had 10 points and two steals in four minutes in the first quarter.

But after scoring 13 points in the first half, Martin could manage only two in the second half.

Barry, who had 11 points in the third quarter of Sunday’s loss to the SuperSonics, made three of four three-point shots and scored 11 points in the first quarter.

Barry, who made a three-point shot during the 11-0 run, made a a three-point shot to tie the score at 28-28 with 48 seconds remaining.

Barry, more gifted as an offensive player, had a difficult time checking Payton, who had 11 points in the first quarter.

Ellis scored 10 points in the second quarter as the SuperSonics outscored the Clippers, 32-25, to take a 64-53 lead.

Payton said the SuperSonics, who have the best record in the NBA (19-5) are a better team without disgruntled forward Shawn Kemp, traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers in a three-way deal that brought Baker from the Milwaukee Bucks to Seattle.

“We don’t have any controversy this season,” Payton said. “Baker has made a big impact. He can play defense and he can go inside and outside. Shawn was a power guy and Vin is a finesse guy.

“We were doing this with Shawn, but we all relax together this season and we don’t have to deal with people saying things in the paper this season.”