Spurs Steal a Win From Clippers : Robertson, With 10 Thefts and 30 Points, Leads the Way

All-Star guard Alvin Robertson terrorized the Clippers Saturday night.

Robertson had 30 points, 10 steals, 6 assists and 5 rebounds as the Spurs handed the injury-depleted Clippers their sixth straight loss, this one by a 109-102 score before 4,831 fans at the Sports Arena.

Robertson tied his single-game career high for steals despite spending much of the third quarter on the bench because of foul trouble.

Robertson’s 10 steals (the Spurs as a team had 21) were just one short of the National Basketball Assn. single-game record held by Larry Kenon.

“I’m just happy we won the game,” Robertson said. “It’s important for us to take advantage against the weaker teams.”

Robertson, San Antonio’s leading scorer with a 20.3-points-a-game average at the start of the night, is on a hot streak. He scored 34 points in a loss to Portland Friday night, two nights after getting 34 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in a loss to the Lakers.

“Robertson is just a fantastic player,” Clipper Coach Don Chaney said. “He has great instincts. He lays back and then he waits to make the steal.”

The Clippers, who had just 10 healthy player because of injuries, were playing without starting guards Marques Johnson and Larry Drew, and the Spurs exploited it. The Clippers had a total of 27 turnovers against San Antonio.

“We had all the excuses in the world,” Chaney said. “But we should have played like a team possessed and we didn’t.”

Johnson, who suffered a bruised spinal cord in a collision with teammate Benoit Benjamin Thursday night, will be out two to four weeks. Drew missed the game because of an injured right hamstring.

“They’re a completely different team without Marques,” said Bob Weiss, the first-year San Antonio Coach. “I think his absence made a major difference.”

Spur guard Johnny Moore, who missed most of last season after coming down with desert fever last December, had 10 points, 6 assists and 6 steals. Backup guard Jon Sunvold came off the bench to score 10 points in the fourth quarter.

“Our guards were fantastic,” Weiss said. “I’ve come to expect that type of game from Alvin Robertson, but Jon Sunvold gave us a tremendous lift in the fourth quarter, and Johnny Moore had a good game.

“Moore is not up to par yet, but he’s pretty close. We’re starting to see the old Johnny Moore as far as steals, points and assists go.”

The Spurs, who snapped a three-game losing streak, also got strong games from forward Tyrone Corbin and backup center Mychal Thompson.

Corbin, starting his second straight game in place of Mike Mitchell, who is out with a knee injury, had 22 points, 4 assists and 4 rebounds in 39 minutes.

Mitchell, the Spurs’ second-leading scorer, was averaging 18.7 points in 10 games this season before he injured a knee in practice Thursday.

Thompson had 17 points and 5 assists in 34 minutes. Veteran center Artis Gilmore, who started after being benched Friday night against Portland, had just 2 points and 2 rebounds. He didn’t score a point in the first half and has now been blanked in five of the last six quarters he has played.

Clipper guard Lancaster Gordon came off the bench to score a team-high 21 points, including 19 in the second half.

Clipper Guard Mike Woodson, who started in place of Johnson, added 20 points, while center Benoit Benjamin scored 18 points and blocked 6 shots in 41 minutes. Point guard Geoff Huston, filling in for Drew, had 17 points and 8 assists.

The game matched two of the worst teams in the NBA this season. The Clippers fell to 3-9, while San Antonio has a 4-8 record.

The Clippers, who trailed by 11 points at halftime, outscored San Antonio, 33-21, in the third quarter and led, 73-72, going into the fourth quarter after Kurt Nimphius hit a follow shot with eight seconds left in the third. It was the first time in 12 games this season that the Clippers have led going into the final period.

Huston had 10 points and 4 assists in the third-period rally, and Gordon had 9 points and 3 rebounds. The Clippers outrebounded the Spurs, 15-5, in the third period, and Los Angeles shot 63.2%, hitting 12 of 19 shots.

However, the Spurs blitzed the Clippers, 21-7, in the first five minutes of the fourth period to put the game away.

Clipper Notes

The Spurs are bringing in rookie guard-forward Forrest McKenzie, a third-round draft pick from Loyola Marymount, to replace Mike Mitchell, who underwent arthroscopic knee surgery Saturday. McKenzie was cut by the Spurs during training camp and was playing for Pensacola, Fla., in the Continental Basketball Assn. . . . The Clippers will play at Seattle Tuesday night and then face the Lakers Wednesday night at the Sports Arena. . . . Clipper General Manager Elgin Baylor said he still hasn’t decided on a replacement for the injured Marques Johnson. The Clippers say they aren’t interested in bringing back Junior Bridgeman, was was cut by Sacramento. The Clippers traded Bridgeman to Sacramento last summer.