Straight-shooter DeAndre sets sights on Wilt

Wilt Chamberlain, your record is in jeopardy. No, not the 100-point one. DeAndre Jordan of the Los Angeles Clippers — who has made 25 of his past 28 shots from the field — very quietly made a run at Chamberlain’s shooting-percentage record last season and is doing it again.

Jordan has made 149 of his 205 shots this season, putting him just a hair behind the league’s all-time mark in that department. Chamberlain holds the record, set in the 1972-73 season.

How close is Jordan to the mark? He is at 72.683 percent. Chamberlain’s record is 72.696 percent.

If Jordan makes his next shot, he will be on pace to supplant Chamberlain on top of that list. And he has been a huge key to the Clippers’ current six-game winning streak, all while star forward Blake Griffin has been out with a

partially torn left quad tendon.

“We’re learning to play without Blake and everyone’s picking it up ,” Jordan said .“So when he does come back, we’ll be a lot better.”

Jordan shot 71 percent last season, making him the only other member of the league’s 70-percent-for-a-season club. Only two other players — Miami’s Hassan Whiteside and Houston’s Dwight Howard — are shooting better than 60 percent this season.

Joey’s last call

Number 17 is not exactly one of the most storied in NBA history.

John Havlicek wore it, as did Chris Mullin. There are 10 players who have donned it in a game this season, the most notable probably being Dennis Schroder and Jonas Valanciunas.

But perhaps the biggest NBA star today with 17 on his back is Joey Crawford.

The longtime referee told the Delaware County Daily Times over the weekend that this will be his last season of blowing the whistle. Knee problems have limited him to five games, though he is planning to return for the stretch run and work some playoff games.

It was not unexpected news; Crawford is 64 and has been in the NBA for nearly 40 years. And while some of his most memorable moments were not of the stellar variety — his conduct while ejecting San Antonio’s Tim Duncan in 2007 earned him a suspension — even the biggest Crawford critics would probably say the league is about to lose one of its true personalities.

Plus, most in the league would say that Crawford was one of the better refs, period.

“He’s obviously been an iconic figure for a long time,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said.

Kobe’s number game

Kobe Bryant has enjoyed an illustrious career while wearing two separate jersey numbers and with his final chapter approaching it has left the Los Angeles Lakers with a decision about which one to retire.

“Obviously it’ s going to be 8, 24 — or it could be both,” Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak said. “I don’t know the answer.”

Bryant wore No 8 from the time he broke into the team in the 1996-97 campaign, won three championships and delivered an unforgettable 81-point performance while wearing it.

He changed to No 24 before the 2006-07 season, won two more championships and is wearing it in his 20th, and final, season in the NBA which has been on something of an extended farewell tour.

“This is a year that’s dedicated to Kobe and his farewell,” Kupchak said.

And next year the Lakers will lift one of Bryant’s numbers into the arena rafters. Or both of them.

Sixers land Brand

Looking to add some veteran leadership in the locker room, the NBA-worst Philadelphia 76ers have signed forward Elton Brand.

A two-time NBA All-Star, Brand was the first overall pick in the 1999 draft by the Chicago Bulls and was named Rookie of the Year.

Brand has played 16 seasons in the NBA, most recently with the Atlanta Hawks (2013-15). He has appeared in 1,041 career games and made 867 starts, posting averages of 16 points, nine rebounds, two assists and two blocks per game.

This marks Brand’s second tenure with the Sixers. He spent four seasons in Philadelphia from 2008-12, averaging 13 points and seven rebounds per game.

Rose’s leg looks OK

The Chicago Bulls say an MRI shows no structural damage to the right leg of star point guard Derrick Rose.

Rose was a game-time decision for Tuesday’s matchup with the Milwaukee Bucks after sitting out the past three games because of a hamstring problem. He had the MRI on Monday to rule out any issues with his right knee, which he has had surgery on twice to repair his meniscus.

The Bulls have won four in a row and are second in the Central Division at 20-12.