Clippers Finally on Good Side of Blowout, 128-103

Unaccustomed as they are to being on the winning side of blowouts, the Clippers made sure they savored the opportunity to the fullest Wednesday night against the Sacramento Kings.

So, for the final four minutes of the Clippers’ 128-103 victory over the Kings before 5,472 fans at the Sports Arena, Coach Don Chaney remained seated for what had to be his longest stretch of the season and Clipper starters actually were seen smiling on the bench.

“It was great,” guard Norm Nixon said. “I was able to drink some juice on the bench and actually enjoy the game without worrying that we’d blow it.”

For the Clippers, who had lost their last four games by an average of 24 points and had recorded their last victory 11 days ago, the blowout win was a nice change but not totally unexpected. Sacramento, after all, entered the game with the same record as the Clippers (6-12) and, like the Clippers, with a knack of losing big on the road.

Still, the Clippers didn’t let the quality of the opponent spoil the joy of a rare blowout win. In fact, it was the franchise’s biggest margin of victory since Dec. 21, 1983, when the San Diego Clippers routed Houston by 31 points. Under Chaney, the Clippers’ most lopsided win had been was a 20-point victory over Detroit.

There were several notable performances that contributed to Wednesday night’s win--Marques Johnson’s 31 points, Cedric Maxwell’s 18 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists and Rory White’s 20 points off the bench--but the overriding factor was the Clipper defense.

The last two days in practice, Chaney has concentrated on little else but improving the Clipper defensive play, which was greatly lacking in sustained effort and technique in recent games.

That refresher course enabled the Clippers to limit the Kings to a 46.3% shooting night. the Clippers also forced 20 turnovers and outrebounded Sacramento, 49-35.

Reggie Theus (14 points) and Otis Thorpe (13) were the only Kings to shoot well. Eddie Johnson, who usually hurts the Clippers, was held to 10 points on 5-of-15 shooting by the Clippers’ Johnson, and point guard Larry Drew made only 5 of 13 shots.

On this night, Marques easily won the battle of the Johnsons. The Clipper forward made 12 of 17 shots, grabbed 7 rebounds and had 4 assists.

Johnson may have been hot, but the Clippers’ most accurate shooter by far was Maxwell, who made all six shots he attempted and made 6 of 8 free throws.

Don’t mention free-throw attmepts to Sacramento Coach Phil Johnson unless you like being yelled at. Johnson was very upset because the Clippers shot 45 foul shots, whereas the Kings attempted only 22. So upset were the Kings that reserve forward Mike Woodson (14 points) received two technicals and was ejected. Phil Johnson and forward Mark Olberding also received technicals.

The Clippers led at the half, 66-48, owing to some strong play and to Sacramento’s sloppy ballhandling and poor shot selection.

Even though the Clipper lead wavered several times in the first half, they clearly seemed in control. The Clippers opened a 10-point lead late in the first quarter, lost it, then built it back to 10 points midway through the second quarter.

If the Clippers had continued that pattern, as they have several times before, the Kings would not have been down by 18 entering the second half.

This time, however, the Clippers got the Kings down and kept them there. A Marques Johnson drive over Reggie Theus gave the Clippers a 51-42 lead and then Cedric Maxwell made it a 10-point lead by sinking a foul shot after the King coach was called for a technical.

After that, the Kings buckled under pressure exerted by the Clippers and also by themselves. The Clippers had a 10-2 surge in which the Kings committed three turnovers, missed four shots within 15 feet and allowed the Clippers to do basically what they pleased offensively.

The Kings cut the margin to 12 points with just over a minute left in the half, but the Clippers broke tradition and failed to fold. In fact, the Clippers ended the half in strong fashion, as Benoit Benjamin blocked a Larry Drew layup and Norm Nixon scored on the subsequent fast break.

Not surprisingly, the Clippers shot well from the field in the first half. In the first quarter, they made 69% of their shots, whereas Sacramento made only 48%. At the half, the Clippers had made 23 of 40 shots (57.5%) and had outrebounded the Kings, 25-15.