Nixon Sits By as Clippers Lose to the Warriors, 119-112

Injured guard Norm Nixon put in his first appearance at the Clippers’ training camp Saturday night when the team opened its exhibition season against Golden State.

The Clippers could have used Nixon, who sat on the bench in street clothes, as they were beaten by the Warriors, 119-112, before 2,162 fans at Cal Poly Pomona.

Golden State guard Chris Mullin came off the bench to score a game-high 20 points in 20 minutes, hitting 7 of 10 shots and all 6 of his free throws. Center Chris Washburn, the third player picked in the draft last June, added 16 points and 2 rebounds and blocked 2 shots in 25 minutes.

Marques Johnson led the Clippers with 14 points, and 7-0 center Benoit Benjamin came off the bench to score 13 points in 23 minutes. Benjamin, who didn’t start because of an ankle injury suffered in practice Thursday, also had seven rebounds and two blocked shots.

Point guard Larry Drew, Nixon’s replacement, had eight points and seven assists. Mike Woodson, who came to the Clippers along with Drew in the deal which sent Derek Smith to Sacramento, had 12 points.

Nixon is expected to be out for four to six months after undergoing surgery July 27 to repair a ruptured tendon in his left knee. Nixon suffered the freak injury while playing in a charity softball game in New York’s Central Park. Nixon, who turned 31 Saturday, said he doesn’t know when he’ll be able to return to the Clippers.

“On a scale of 1 to 10 my knee is about a 1. I can’t even bend it yet,” Nixon said. “It’s going to be a long process because this is the first time I’ve ever had a major injury. I’m just taking it a day at a time.

“I was in a cast for six weeks and I was miserable. When they took the cast off, I couldn’t stand up. Now I’m wearing a brace and I can stand up. I’m seeing a lot of improvement.

“I just started the cybex machine. Now that I’m lifting weights, it’s going to start getting better quickly. But I know I’ve still got a long way to go. I wish I could play now.”

Coach Don Chaney and the rest of the Clippers probably wish Nixon could play, too.

Chaney used his veterans sparingly, giving a lot of playing time to his rookies and free agents.

Steffond Johnson, a 6-8 rookie forward from San Diego State, looked good, scoring 10 points and grabbing a team-high 10 rebounds in 24 minutes. The Clippers outrebounded the Warriors, 46-32.

“We’re not concerned with winning just yet,” said Elgin Baylor, the Clippers executive vice president/basketball operations. “The main thing was to get the new players into the flow of the game.”

Clipper Notes

Clipper Coach Don Chaney said he may make at least one cut today, when the team breaks training camp. . . . They’ll practice at Cal State Dominguez Hills, starting Monday. . . . Elgin Baylor said the team had given free-agent forward Sam Williams an offer sheet. . . . The Clippers play an exhibition game against Detroit next Thursday at the Sports Arena.