White, With 32, Leads Clippers Again, but Johnson Loss Hurts

Unheralded Rory White went on another scoring rampage Wednesday night at the Sports Arena, but the unfortunate thing for the Clippers was that they didn’t have much else to throw at the Phoenix Suns.

White, becoming a veritable scoring machine these days, kept the Clippers close throughout the game with a career-high 32 points in an exhausting 42 minutes but had little left in the final moments, when the Suns pulled out a 118-108 victory before a small but entertained crowd of 6,058.

“I’m really tired,” White said afterward. “I had no breather in the entire second half, and it’s been a long time since that’s happened. It hurt really bad not having all our guys.” It was difficult enough for the Clippers that they began the game without leading scorer Marques Johnson, bothered by a badly bruised left hip, as well as injured guard Derek Smith, still recovering from November knee surgery.

By halftime, they also were without rookie center Benoit Benjamin, ejected with 3:54 left in the second quarter for fighting with Sun center James Edwards. And if that wasn’t enough, reserves Michael Cage (dislocated finger) and Lancaster Gordon (sprained ankle) went out in the second half.

The attrition was such that only eight very tired Clippers were left for the final six minutes, and none of those available could stop Phoenix’s Walter Davis and Larry Nance.

Davis, held to nine points in the first half, broke loose for 15 points in the fourth quarter and finished with 30. Nance added 10 points in the fourth quarter, including two key jump shots in the final 2:15 that ended Clipper comeback hopes. Nance ended up with 24 points. “When you’re shorthanded and playing at home, you have to put away a team like Phoenix early,” Clipper Coach Don Chaney said. “You’ve got to get them down, and we let them stay with us. Then Nance and Davis woke up in the fourth quarter, and we couldn’t stop them.”

White, the $85,000-a-year starting small forward who had 29 points in Monday’s win over New Jersey, did his scoring in spurts. He had an 11-point first quarter and a 15-point third quarter against the team that released him two seasons ago, but he was gasping for air in the fourth quarter.

Several other Clippers tried to support White, but it wasn’t enough. Cedric Maxwell had 17 points and 11 rebounds in 37 minutes, while Junior Bridgeman had 16 points in a season-high 35 minutes. Before Gordon sprained his ankle midway through the fourth quarter, he had scored 12 points off the bench.

Gordon is expected to return to the lineup in time for Saturday night’s game at Portland, but Cage figures to be lost for two weeks after dislocating the middle finger on his right (non-shooting) hand at the same time Gordon sprained his ankle. The short-handed Clippers might will try to sign another power forward to a 10-day contract, pending the results of Cage’s X-rays today.

Benjamin, meanwhile, will return Saturday night $250 poorer after being ejected for brawling with Edwards. The big men exchanged slaps underneath the basket before squaring off. Actually, Edwards squared off, and Benjamin took off, backpedaling about 15 feet before deciding to get in some swings.

Both players were restrained. Sun guard Jay Humphries held back Edwards, who, in turn, shoved Humphries. Benjamin, suffering from a cold, left the arena at halftime.

A tape of the incident will be sent to the league office, and additional fines may be forthcoming.

Clipper Notes

A prominently displayed sign at the Sports Arena Wednesday night read: “Root For A Raise For Rory.” It was referring to forward Rory White, who is starting at forward for the Clippers with an $85,000 salary. . . . Marques Johnson, placed on the Western Conference All-Star team in a vote of the coaches, said he probably will be ready Saturday. X-rays taken on his left hip Wednesday showed no fracture, and he was given a cortisone shot. It was the fifth time Johnson has been voted to the All-Star game,but his first in theWestern Conference and first as a guard. Johnson has been playing guard since Derek Smith underwent knee surgery on Nov. 13. The competition at forward was fierce--Adrian Dantley and Alex English were added by the coaches, so Johnson’s best bet to make it was at guard.