Maggette Pays the Price for Elbow From Malone

A little worse for wear after running face first into a Karl Malone forearm Thursday night, Corey Maggette sat out the Clippers’ 97-89 overtime exhibition victory over the Golden State Warriors on Friday night at Staples Center.

After suffering what the Clippers described as “facial trauma” in Thursday night’s 107-101 victory over the Lakers, Maggette spent most of the day shuttling between medical appointments.

X-rays on his nose were negative, but he sat for five hours in a dental chair being fitted for caps for his chipped front teeth.

When he arrived at Staples Center in the evening to watch his teammates close out the exhibition season, his nose and mouth were still swollen.

“It just kind of shattered my front teeth,” he said of the Malone forearm, which was delivered in the third quarter.

And the Mailman, Maggette said, had not sent it accidentally.

“Me, personally, I think it was intentional,” he said. “But it’s part of the game and stuff like that happens, so you’ve got to shake it off and move on.”

After running into Malone while chasing a rebound, Maggette said, “I couldn’t feel my teeth, and I kept spitting out chips of my teeth. I didn’t think I had any of my teeth left. And I started seeing blood.”

He said he would be ready for Thursday’s regular-season opener against the Seattle SuperSonics in Japan, but he won’t wear a mouthguard.

“I tried it, but that’s not me,” he said. “It’s too uncomfortable, so I guess I’ll probably be in this situation again.”

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Reserve guard Eddie House, who spent three mostly unenjoyable seasons with the Miami Heat before signing with the Clippers as a free agent in August, found it amusing that Pat Riley had stepped down Friday as the Heat coach.

“It’s surprising,” he said of the decision by the hard-driving coach to step aside less than a week before the season. “That’s not what he taught over there ... giving up. The work ethic that he taught, how hard to go, and then to step down at this point in time, it’s kind of funny. And not funny like hilarious.”

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Bobby Simmons, who started in place of Maggette, led the Clippers with 25 points and 14 rebounds. Elton Brand had 23 points and 14 rebounds.... Reserve forward Melvin Ely did not return after suffering a left shoulder injury with 10:35 to play. He is listed as day to day.... After the game, the Clippers waived guards Marcus Hatten and Quinton Ross.