It’s the Same Old Story for Clippers : Team Loses Nixon to Injury, Game to Trail Blazers, 110-99

The post-game comments seldom vary at Clipper games these days, and Tuesday night was no different.

This time, it was Portland Coach Jack Ramsey doing the talking after the Trail Blazers had handed the Clippers a 110-99 loss before a sellout crowd of 12,666 at the Memorial Coliseum.

“The Clippers are a good team,” Ramsey said. “They have a lot of good players and Jimmy (Lynam) is a good coach. It was a good win for us.”

What it really was, however, was the Clippers’ 10th straight road loss and probably the 10th straight time an opposing coach has said how difficult they are to beat. This time, though, Ramsey didn’t seem to be merely cushioning the blow for Lynam, who played for and coached with Ramsey.

No, this time the Clippers were tough to beat. Even without point guard Norm Nixon, who suffered a hip pointer late in the first quarter and missed the rest of the game, the Clippers were able to stay close to the Trail Blazers.

But, like the plot to those mindless TV melodramas, you knew how it would turn out in the end. Portland turned a tenuous four-point lead into a bulging 13-point margin with nine unanswered points early in the fourth quarter. After that, the Clippers didn’t threaten again.

As a result, their road losing streak was extended to 10 games, their last win away from the Sports Arena coming Jan. 12 at Golden State.

Tonight, the Clippers return to the Sports Arena to face the Houston Rockets. They will probably be without Nixon, whose left hip was bruised and swollen. Nixon said he doesn’t know if he’ll be ready to play, but it’s very doubtful.

“This type of injury usually hurts the most the next day,” Nixon said.

Lynam greeted that not-so-pleasant news with an anguished look and then a shrug of his shoulders. “We could’ve used Norman out there tonight,” was all he said.

Nixon’s loss did hurt Tuesday. On the other hand, the Clippers had lost nine straight road games with a healthy Nixon, so how much it hurt is uncertain.

Certainly, Nixon’s presence would have been a stabilizing force in the fourth quarter, when Portland took advantage of Clipper turnovers and missed shots to deluge the Clippers with fast-break baskets.

And the one Trail Blazer who hurt the Clippers most in the run was point guard Darnell Valentine, who shot 13 of 15 from the field for 26 points. Mychal Thompson led Portland with a season-high 33 points and 9 rebounds, offsetting a 28-point performance by Derek Smith and 23 from Marques Johnson.

“It would have made a big difference if Norman had played tonight,” Johnson said. “He gives you a lot of experience and outside shooting ability. Plus, Bryan (Warrick) isn’t used to playing all those minutes. It looked like he was getting tired.”

Warrick, Nixon’s replacement, played 37 minutes, which is about 27 more than usual.

After three quarters, the Clippers harbored hope of ending their six-week road losing streak. They trailed by only four points (83-79) entering the fourth quarter after leading for the first seven minutes of the third quarter.

“Through three quarters, I really liked the way we were playing,” Lynam said. “But we had trouble scoring in the fourth quarter when they ran off some points on us. Other than that, I thought we played them pretty tough, considering we didn’t have Norm for much of the game.”

That positive outlook spread throughout the Clipper locker room.

Said Smith, who made 12 of 17 shots and 4 of 6 free throws: “There’s no such thing as a moral victory, but we’re playing better. I’m frustrated because we are playing better and we still lose. Tonight, I felt good about our play after three quarters. The fourth quarter? We didn’t have it.”

Neither team took control of game at any point in the first three quarters. The largest lead the Clippers had was six points. The Trail Blazers’ largest lead was four.

Clipper Notes

This is the first day that center Bill Walton is eligible to come off the disabled list, but Clipper Coach Jim Lynam said before Tuesday’s game that Walton will not play tonight against Houston at the Sports Arena. “The doctor (Tony Daly) liked what he saw (in Walton’s strained right ankle),” Lynam said. “He’s going to get a couple of days work and then practice with us Thursday and Friday. We’ll make a decision on whether to keep Chris Engler (Walton’s replacement) based on how Bill feels tomorrow.” . . .