Clippers Are Brought Back to the Real World by Cavaliers, 100-93

Thud.

That was the sound of the Clippers coming back down to earth following their stunning 104-97 win over the Houston Rockets Thursday night.

The Cleveland Cavaliers brought the Clippers back to reality, handing them a 100-93 loss Saturday night before 6,340 fans at the Sports Arena.

“It’s crazy,” Clipper Coach Don Chaney said. “I had that strange feeling before the game. I don’t understand it.”

Although the Clippers played poorly throughout, they had a chance to win in the final minutes.

The score was tied at 93-93 after Marques Johnson made a reverse layin off a pass from Cedric Maxwell with 1:57 left in the game.

However, the Cavaliers (3-2) reeled off seven straight points to sink the Clippers. Rookie guard Ron Harper, who had a game-high 22 points, scored five points and had a key steal down the stretch.

Harper, the eighth pick in the 1986 draft, is averaging 22 points in his first 5 games. After reporting to camp late because of a contract dispute, Harper has earned a starting spot. He is one of three rookies in Coach Lenny Wilkens’ starting lineup. The others are 7-foot center Brad Daugherty, the No. 1 pick in the draft, and 6-11 forward John (Hot Rod) Williams.

“Everybody keeps telling us, ‘You’re too young. You don’t know how to win,’ ” Harper said. “Hey, we’re in the NBA and we know how to play.

“We made some key plays,” Harper continued. “That’s all it was.”

Said Wilkens: “You can’t guard Harper one-on-one, especially in the open court. For a guy who missed the preseason, I think he’s doing a helluva job.

“I don’t think anyone figured we’d be this good with six rookies on the team.”

Harper gave the Cavaliers a 95-93 lead when he made a five-foot hook in the lane with 1:33 left.

The Clippers had a chance to tie it. They set up Drew for a jumper, but Drew, who was being checked by John Bagley, walked with the ball before he could get off a shot with 1:04 left.

“I just faked and put the ball down, and they called traveling,” Drew said. “I can’t explain it.

“We had a big win in Houston. But we took a step backwards by losing tonight at home.”

Cleveland backup center Mel Turpin made a 15-footer with 41 seconds left to give the Cavaliers a 97-93 lead.

The Clippers called a timeout to set up a play, but Harper stole Maxwell’s inbounds pass, which was intended for Lancaster Gordon. Harper scored on a drive and was fouled by Gordon. He sank the free throw for the final margin.

So, the Cavaliers, who have won two straight, are over .500 for the first time since 1978, and the Clippers are 2-3.

Chaney took one look at the Cavaliers’ lineup during pregame introductions and said, “They’re big.”

No kidding.

Cleveland started a towering front line of Daugherty (7-0), forward Mark West (6-10) and Williams (6-11). It brought back memories of the Winnebago Wall that Wilkens used when he was coaching in Seattle.

The Cavaliers didn’t lose their size edge when they went to the bench, which included Turpin (6-11) and forwards Keith Lee (6-10), McCray (6-9) and Ben Poquette (6-9).

Williams finished with 14 points and 8 rebounds, while Daugherty had 6 points and 9 rebounds. Guard John Bagley added 14 points and 10 assists; Turpin scored 13 points.

Once again, Clipper center Benoit Benjamin didn’t show up for the first half as the Clippers fell behind, 55-51, at intermission

The Clippers’ 7-foot center didn’t make a basket in the first half, going 0 for 8. He even missed a dunk with 1:05 left. He didn’t seem to be involved in the offense. However, he may have been playing cautiously after picking up two quick fouls in the first quarter.

Benjamin finished with 11 points and 8 rebounds in 33 minutes. He made only 3 of 16 shots and had two shots blocked. The Clippers shot just 38.8% from the field (33-85).

“I can’t recall ever missing as many shots as I did tonight,” Benjamin said. “But it happened. It’s just something I’ll have to work on.”

Said Chaney: “It was one of those nights when we couldn’t buy a basket. When everything goes against you, everything goes against you.”

The Clippers’ other front-line players didn’t perform much better than Benjamin.

Forward Michael Cage had only 6 points, making 2 of 9 shots. After grabbing a career-high 18 rebounds against Houston, Cage hauled down 13 rebounds against Cleveland. But the Clippers were still outrebounded for the fourth time in five games this season, 47-43.

Maxwell, who made only 1 of 3 field goals, had 8 points. He made 6 of 10 free throws but missed a key free throw late in the game.

Maxwell gave the Clippers a 91-90 lead when he sank two free throws after being fouled by Williams with 3:34 left. But after the Cavaliers were hit with a technical foul for an illegal defense, Maxwell missed the ensuing free throw with 3:12 left.

The Clippers missed 13 free throws, going 27 for 40 at the line.

Johnson got into early foul trouble and went to the bench after picking up his third foul with 9:26 left in the second period. He finished with 18 points.

Rory White came off the bench to score 14 points, while backup guard Mike Woodson had 11 and reserve point guard Gordon had 6.

The Cavaliers never trailed in the first half. They led, 27-23, at the end of the first period as Harper scored 10 points.

Clipper Notes Clipper guard Mike Woodson, who has been bothered by a sore right knee, was examined by Dr. Tony Daly Friday. Woodson, who had knee surgery last May, has tendinitis. “And they found more arthritis,” Woodson said. “I’m pretty much going to cut practice time and lay off the Cybex machine.” . . . The Clippers will play Denver Tuesday night at the Sports Arena before going to Utah Thursdasy night and Portland Friday night. The Clippers play host to the Philadelphia 76ers a week from today. . . . There were scouts from eight teams at the game, including Laker General Manager Jerry West, Denver Coach Doug Moe and Philadelphia assistant Jim Lynam, a former Clipper head coach.