Berry Has the Look of a Real Plum as Spurs Defeat Clippers, 113-106

The San Antonio Spurs probably pulled off the biggest steal in pro basketball this season when they acquired rookie forward Walter Berry from the Portland Trail Blazers last month.

Berry, the 1986 college basketball player of the year at St. John’s, was the 14th player selected in the draft last June.

However, Berry didn’t exactly hit it off in Portland and the Trail Blazers unloaded him to the Spurs on Dec. 18 in exchange for backup center Kevin Duckworth.

But all of Berry’s problems are apparently behind him.

Berry scored 23 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as the Spurs beat the shorthanded Clippers, 113-106, Monday night before 5,428 fans at the HemisFair Arena.

Berry, using an unusual one-handed shot, scored 15 points in the second half. He hit 11 of 14 shots from the floor and made the only free throw he attempted.

“He takes some strange looking shots,” Clipper Coach Don Chaney said. “But they were falling tonight. Our players kept forgetting that he was left-handed, and they tried to go to the right to block them. He’s not going to be a superstar in this league because he doesn’t have an outside shot, but he’ll have an outstanding career.”

Said Berry: “‘I never thought playing this well would happen this quick. I think this was one of the best games I’ve played this season.

“When I came to San Antonio, this was like a second chance to get myself together and show what I can do.”

Asked if he got a fair shot in Portland, Berry said: “Not at all, and I wish I could tell you why. I just got off to a bad start there.”

Said rookie San Antonio Coach Bob Weiss: “We took a gamble when we got Berry. I think it was a situation (in Portland) that wasn’t good for either party.”

The Clippers, who had just nine healthy players due to injuries, didn’t have anyone who could match up against Berry.

“When you’re struggling and lose two players it really hurts,” Chaney said. “We played shorthanded tonight. We had (guards) Quintin Dailey and Mike Woodson playing the small forward, and that’s no good. The Spurs were jumping over our heads, and we couldn’t get a rebound when we needed it.”

Kurt Nimphius, the Clippers’ backup center-forward, was sidelined because he had an irregular heartbeat before the game. Nimphius was sent to a hospital for tests, but an electrocardiogram showed nothing unusual. However, he will be re-examined today when the Clippers return to Los Angeles.

And Los Angeles starting forward Kenny Fields was forced to sit out the second half after suffering a bruised nose when he was elbowed by Berry late in the first half. Fields will be examined by the team doctor today. “It wasn’t anything intentional,” Fields said of the injury. “It’s just that my nose is the biggest thing on my face.”

However, the Clippers who looked like they were on the verge of being victims of yet another blowout when they fell behind by 21 points in the third period, rallied to cut the Spurs’ lead to six points in the fourth period.

“I didn’t have a Richter scale on my heart, but I think it would have read seven or eight,” Weiss said when asked how he felt during the Clipper comeback.

Clipper forward Michael Cage, who had a career-high 29 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, led the comeback. Woodson added 23 points.

“It didn’t really dawn on me that I was having a big game because I got all of my points in different quarters,” Cage said. “But I wish we could have won the game. It would have made this a lot more satisfying.”

However, the Spurs held off the Clippers.

All-Star guard Alvin Robertson led San Antonio with 27 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists. Jon Sunvold added 20 points and 7 assists in 39 minutes, and Mike Mitchell came off the bench to score 16 points.

Robertson, 6 feet 4 inches, had an impressive in-your-face dunk over Benoit Benjamin, the Clippers 7-0 center, in the first half.

Benjamin, the Clipper center, was berated by Chaney during and after the game for failing to go to the offensive boards.

Benjamin finished with 14 points, 8 rebounds and 4 blocked shots. But he had just 2 offensive rebounds in 41 minutes.

“He (Benjamin) was hanging around the top of the key too much,” Chaney said. “He’s the biggest thing we have, and if he can’t get a rebound at least he can tap it in.”

Benjamin took Chaney’ critical comments in stride, saying: “It’s all part of the game. He is just doing his job as a coach. He wants me to go to the offensive boards more. But when I do go inside they call offensive fouls on me. If that’s what he wants me to do, I’ll just have to do it.”

The game matched two of the worst teams in the National Basketball Assn. The Clippers, who own the NBA’s worst record this season (5-34), have lost three straight and 31 of their last 33 games.

The Spurs had the second-worst record in the NBA coming into the game but have won two straight to push their record to 11-28.

Clipper Notes The Clippers are still trying to fill the roster spot left when they traded Cedric Maxwell to Houston. Clipper Coach Don Chaney said the team is looking to the Continental Basketball Assn. for help. The Clippers, who have played 10 of their last 11 games on the road, are off until Friday, when they open a four-game home stand against the Detroit Pistons at the Sports Arena. . . . The Spurs haven’t made a decision on whether to bring Johnny Moore off the injured list. Moore has missed the last 12 games. . . . Spur forward Mike Mitchell, who is reportedly on the trading block, said in a recent interview on a San Antonio TV station: “I’m history. I’m as good as gone.”