Five takeaways from the Clippers’ 105-95 victory over Brooklyn

It will be remembered as the night Steve Ballmer rocked Staples Center. The Clippers unveiled a new mascot and beat the Brooklyn Nets, 105-95, on Monday night, but those seemed like footnotes compared to the leaping ability of their billionaire owner. Here are five takeaways from the game, not to mention a halftime spectacle that beat any juggling act or dog troupe:

1. Chuck the Condor was trending on Twitter, and he wasn’t even the hottest topic. Ballmer’s dunk ruled the night — as in, a balding middle-aged man dunking a basketball during halftime. Really. Sure, Ballmer needed the help of a trampoline and some prompting from his new mascot, but it was impressive despite replays showing Ballmer bounding off the edge of the trampoline and barely clearing the rim. The Clippers were in the locker room at the time, but the buzz surrounding the feat was palpable. “I came out of the hallway at halftime,” Clippers shooting guard J.J. Redick said, “and there was some commotion in the film room and Ballmer was high-fiving people and it seemed abnormally loud.” Ballmer had been practicing the move at the Clippers’ practice facility, but he’s not exactly the springiest specimen, as someone who turns 60 later this month. “I was worried,” Clippers Coach Doc Rivers acknowledged. “I was worried about him a lot.”

2. It was a more auspicious start for the new Clippers mascot versus the previous one. Sam Dunk, the last Clippers mascot, was booed upon his introduction on Nov. 15, 1985, at the Sports Arena. He sank a halfcourt shot but that was about it for the highlights for a mascot derided for looking too much like Mr. Potato Head. Chuck the Condor wasn’t exactly universally embraced but did seem to generate a more positive response from fans. “You know how it is in today’s world -- whenever you do something they’re going to make fun of it for the first six months and then they’ll get over it,” Rivers said. “But hopefully it does well. I’m looking forward to it. I had a mascot in Boston and Lucky was pretty good. I hope it brings the same type of luck.” Clippers players did their best to seem upbeat regarding the bird, bestowed with an unusual color scheme: pink head, blue beak and gray body. “I know my son will love it,” guard Jamal Crawford said. “I hope my daughter’s not scared.” Redick said after the game he “didn’t really care” about the new mascot but seemed to soften considerably over the next few hours. “Chuck!!!!!” Redick tweeted after the game. “Chuck is really growing on me.”

3. The ageless Crawford gave a hint as to how much longer he might play in the NBA. He was probably estimating and just as likely kidding, but the shooting guard said he might not be able to appreciate passing Buck Williams for No. 90 on the all-time scoring list until “one day when I retire in 10 years.” That would make Crawford 45 years old, putting him in the territory of Nat Hickey, a coach from the Providence Steamrollers who activated himself for one game during the 1947-48 season when he was 45 years and 363 days old. Crawford still looked like he was in his prime against the Nets, scoring 26 points to help carry the Clippers on a night their offense wasn’t clicking for long stretches.

4. The Clippers might have lost Luc Mbah a Moute for more than a half. The small forward suffered a lacerated left eyelid after apparently being hit by teammate DeAndre Jordan in the second quarter. Mbah a Moute recognized the severity of the injury instantaneously, racing to the locker room and sitting out the rest of the game. He’s listed as questionable for the Clippers’ game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday. The same could be said for the team’s defense if Mbah a Moute is unable to play. “I think individually at that three-four position, he’s our best defender, so we’ll miss that,” Redick said, “but I’m confident in our team’s ability to defend. I don’t think our defense is just on one guy. So I think we’ll have a huge challenge Wednesday and missing Luc — he probably would have guarded K.D. [Kevin Durant] and been on [Serge] Ibaka too, so we’ll definitely miss him.”

5. The Clippers will be seeing lots of the Thunder in the coming weeks. The teams will meet three times in a 30-day span, with plenty at stake. The Clippers trail Oklahoma City by 2 1/2 games for third place in the Western Conference, a coveted spot that would likely entail avoiding first-place Golden State in the second round of the playoffs. “That’s how the playoffs are set up,” Crawford said of playing a team like the Thunder in rapid-fire succession, “so if we can play a team of that caliber that many times in a short amount of time, it’s only to our advantage because you’re not going to do everything perfect but if you can take something from each game and build on the next game, I think that’s good for us.” The Clippers hope to have reserve guard Austin Rivers back after he suffered a broken bone in his left hand Feb. 3, missing the next 10 games.

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