Clipper Losing Streak Reaches an Imperfect 10 : Pacers Are 116-106 Victors in the 800th NBA Coaching Victory for Ramsay

You could almost say it was another predictable loss for the Clippers here Friday night. Doing the honor, or dishonor, this time were the Indiana Pacers by a 116-106 score.

For the record, it was the 10th straight loss for the Clippers, the 22nd in the last 23 games and the 10th straight road loss. For more bad news, consider that this was the first game in a 7-game, 11-day trip--the road, of course, being where the Clippers are 1-11.

But aside from all the negative numbers, this was one game they almost pulled out, despite everything going against them--like the Pacers’ incentive to get Coach Jack Ramsay his 800th National Basketball Assn. win, which is second only to Red Auerbach’s 938.

“I was thinking about it the whole game,” said Pacer rookie Chuck Person, who was 4 years old when Ramsay coached his first NBA win. “It was special for me because Jack has taught me a lot about the NBA game.”

Person responded with 29 points and 11 rebounds. Also responding were fellow front-liners Steve Stipanovich (29 points, 13 rebounds) and Wayman Tisdale (18 points, 9 rebounds). That trio carried the Pacers to a .500 record (15-15) and Ramsay’s milestone victory, which the coach predictably downplayed.

“I’m happy to win any game, and I was happy to win this game, but you have to take them all in stride,” Ramsay said. “What you do today is what counts. What you do in the past doesn’t count very much. Those 799 are in the past.”

By the end of the third quarter, No. 800 looked to be pretty routine. The Pacers led, 82-64, and the Clippers didn’t appear capable of generating much of a comeback.

But in the fourth quarter, everything started to fall together for the Clippers, and the shots started to fall in. From the field, they hit 15 of 21 and from the foul line 11 of 11, which brought them back in the game.

Kurt Nimphius got a dunk with 1:12 to play that cut the Pacer lead to 109-104. But Stipanovich hit two free throws, then the Clippers’ Mike Woodson traveled and the Pacers’ Vern Fleming answered with a free throw with 1:07 left to wrap it up.

“I thought we we did a great job coming back,” said Clipper Coach Don Chaney, whose team’s 4-25 record is the worst in the league. “I think it took a lot out of them, but they never gave up.”

Added forward Michael Cage, who had a fine game with 19 points and 14 rebounds: “I think we showed some heart. They had us by 23; we got ourselves back in the game with a lot of hustle and by slowing them down. We started running on them.

“We picked up the pace, and the momentum started shifting to us and we got a few transition buckets, plus Person cooled off and that helped.”

But not enough.

“They kept their composure,” Cage said. “They just didn’t roll over and die like a lot of teams would have.”

Leading the way for the Clippers were Woodson--who played his high school basketball here--with 25 points, Cedric Maxwell with 18, Darnell Valentine with 13 (all in the fourth quarter) and Nimphius with 12.

“Regardless of our record, we’ve been playing well,” Maxwell said. “Our record is not indicative of this team.”

Former Clipper Michael Brooks, signed by the Pacers to a 10-day contract Thursday, played eight minutes, scored two points and had a rebound and three steals.

Said Chaney: “I really didn’t focus in to see what he did. I was watching the other guys.”

The Clippers play at New Jersey tonight.