Derek Smith Leads Clippers Past Former Team : L.A. Guard Scores 33 Points, Winning Basket in 104-102 Defeat of Warriors

One of the favorite pastimes for basketball fans in this area is listing all the quality players that the Golden State Warriors have given up on over the years.

Until recently, Derek Smith’s name didn’t figure prominently on a list that includes Bernard King and Jamaal Wilkes. But Smith showed the Warriors again Saturday night what a big mistake they made when they released him two years ago.

Smith scored 33 points, including an incredible left-handed, fall-away tipin that proved to be the winning basket, to lift the Clippers to a 104-102 victory over the Warriors before a crowd of 7,856 at the Oakland Coliseum Arena.

It was the Clippers’ fourth straight win, improving their Pacific Division record to 18-21. Golden State (10-26), meanwhile, lost its seventh straight game and now have the worst record in the NBA.

For a while, though, it looked as if both teams’ streaks were going to end in a game in which neither team took the initiative.

With just over a minute left to play, the Clippers trailed, 102-101, but had possession of the ball. Smith got open inside but missed the layup. Marques Johnson missed the follow shot and then Smith, falling backward, swatted at the ball with his left hand and banked it in.

That basket gave the Clippers a 103-102 lead with 16 seconds left. Golden State still had plenty of time to reclaim the lead, but Lester Conner hurried--and badly missed--a jump shot and the Clippers had the ball again with 32 seconds left.

Naturally, they looked for Smith. He had the ball 15 feet away from the basket with no defender in sight. He shot an air ball, giving the Warriors another chance to go ahead.

As expected, the Warriors went to Purvis Short, but he badly missed a short jumper and Bill Walton grabbed the rebound with :01 left. After being quickly fouled, Walton made one free throw with no time remaining to make the official count Clippers 104, Warriors 102.

For Smith, it was another excellent game against his old team, which used him strictly as a forward during the 1982-83 season before putting him on waivers. The Clippers picked up the 6-6 Smith last season, converted him to a big guard and the Warriors have since regretted the move.

Smith’s 33 points tied his career high, set Nov. 30 against the Chicago Bulls. The impressive thing about his performance Saturday was that he scored 11 of his points in the fourth quarter while playing with five fouls.

Smith wasn’t alone in holding off the Warriors. Marques Johnson and Norm Nixon each scored 22 points, while Walton grabbed 12 rebounds.

The Warriors were led by forward Larry Smith, who had 23 rebounds and 18 points. Short and guard Sleepy Floyd led Golden State with 22 points each.

The final basket of the first half typified how things went for the Clippers. With the Clippers trailing, 54-50, and only 15 seconds left, Bill Walton picked up a loose ball in front of Golden State’s basket and reared back for an outlet pass.

But when Walton released the ball, it was blocked by Larry Smith and swished through the basket. That made it 56-50, Warriors and, 11 seconds later, the Clippers walked to the locker room shaking their heads.

They were perplexed not only with Smith’s fluke basket but with their first-half performance, which ranged from good to abysmal. Mostly, it was the latter.

After starting the second quarter trailing, 29-23, the Clippers methodically cut Golden State’s lead to one point (37-36) with 6:37 left. For a two-minute stretch, the Clippers played like the team came in with a three-game winning streak.

They played pressure defense, took high-percentage shots and were able to run. The highlight was when Walton, flat-footed in the key, blocked a plodding hook shot by Chuck Aleksinas, and Junior Bridgeman converted it by making a layup at the other end.

Shortly thereafter, though, the Warriors went on a 15-6 run to build a 10-point lead. Larry Smith and Floyd did most of the damage, Smith scoring five points and Floyd four. The major reason for the Warriors’ hot streak was the Clippers’ poor defense and inability to rebound.

Clipper Coach Jim Lynam tried to solve the rebounding problem midway through the second quarter when he inserted Walton and Donaldson in the low posts. But it was basically ineffective. In fact, it was during that four-minute stretch when the Clippers’ offense bogged down and the defense fell apart.

Larry Smith, in particular, hurt the Clippers on the boards, grabbing 14 first-half rebounds. Smith had nine points, while Jerome Whitehead and Short led the Warriors with 12 and 10, respectively.

The Clippers were led by Johnson’s 16 points and Smith’s 12.

Golden State’s offense didn’t exactly light up the building. It shot only 43.1%. The Clippers shot better (44.2%) but committed 10 turnovers.