Benjamin Awakens, but Clippers Still Lose to Denver

On a night when the downtrodden Clippers surprised even themselves by actually making the Denver Nuggets work for a 113-109 victory, the biggest surprise of all had to be the impressive fourth-quarter play of rookie center Benoit Benjamin.

So far this season, Benjamin essentially has been an untapped resource on the Clippers’ bench, mostly by Coach Don Chaney’s choosing but also because Benjamin’s ability has yet to be refined.

But it was Benjamin’s strong performance in the middle and Marques Johnson’s all-round play that kept the outcome of Saturday night’s game in doubt until the final minutes.

As expected, the Nuggets (8-2) eventually pulled away, sending the McNichols Arena crowd of 10,525 home happy and handing the Clippers their sixth straight loss after starting the season with five straight wins.

But Chaney, who somehow must carry on despite the loss of Derek Smith, Jamaal Wilkes and Cedric Maxwell to injuries and free-agent Norm Nixon to the club’s methodical decision-making process, didn’t have to think much before coming up with something positive to say about this loss.

He pointed to Benjamin’s 14-point, 11-rebound performance as a turning point in the development of the Clippers’ highly touted first-round draft choice.

But there also was praise for Johnson, who basically carried the team on his strained lower back most of the night with a 32-point performance, and power forward Michael Cage, who had 18 points and 12 rebounds.

In short, his general feeling was, if you have to lose, you might as well look good doing it.

The only thing Chaney criticized was the Clippers’ breakdown in the final minutes, when they surprisingly had a chance to win. The Clippers had cut the Nuggets’ lead to one point (105-104) with three minutes left, but a rash of turnovers and fouls enabled Denver to win.

Still, there was plenty of redeeming value in the Clippers’ showing here. Chaney had to wait 11 games into the season for some shred of evidence of Benjamin’s true ability, and he said Saturday it was worth the wait.

“Ben learned something tonight that I hope he remembers,” Chaney said. “We work with him a lot one-on-one in practice, but he forgets those things once he gets in games. We’ve been trying to get him to take the ball to the middle and go up strong with it instead of going to the outside and shooting a jumper. Tonight, he did that.”

Benjamin, who had never refined a hook shot before reporting to training camp, made three hook shots in the key. He also took the ball to the defense for two baskets underneath, instead of settling for fade-away jumpers.

To make sure Benjamin remembers precisely what he did well Saturday night, Chaney stopped him in front of the locker room afterward and reminded him again. It also was one of the few times that Chaney has given Benjamin direct praise.

“He played very well tonight, and I hope he remembers it,” Chaney said. “What Ben has to do is put this away for a later day, remember what he did that was successful. Tonight was a positive sign.”

That, too, can be said for the Clippers’ overall performance. Shaking off the demoralizing effects of Friday night’s 31-point loss to the Lakers at the Sports Arena and all the disruptions caused by the injuries and Nixon’s status, the Clippers somehow managed to challenge the Nuggets, who have the second best record in the Western Conference.

To a large degree, Johnson made all that possible. Johnson, still affected by a lower-back strain, nevertheless made 13 of 20 shots and helped erase a 13-point halftime deficit with a 12-point quarter.

But Johnson’s prolific output was eclipsed by Nugget forward Alex English, who scored a game-high 37 points. English, the NBA’s leading scorer with a 31-point average, sank three straight jumpers late in the fourth quarter to hold off the Clippers’ charge.

Clipper Notes

One day after arthroscopic surgery to repair cartilage damage in his left knee, Clipper guard Derek Smith already has started rehabilitation. “I went to see Dr. (Eugene) Osher today; he took my crutches away, and I walked a few steps,” Smith said from his Playa del Rey home. . . . Clipper President Alan Rothenberg and General Manager Carl Scheer said that the club still is going over Seattle’s offer sheet to free agent Norm Nixon and that a decision about whether to match or file for arbitration has still not been reached.