Clippers’ Little Pride and Joy: A Win Streak : They Top Sacramento, 98-84, for Second Victory in Row

The rest of the National Basketball Assn. isn’t going to believe this: The Clippers won their second straight game, beating the Sacramento Kings, 98-84, Friday night at the Sports Arena.

Most teams don’t get excited about winning back-to-back games, but it’s cause for a celebration for the Clippers.

It was the first time in almost two seasons that the Clippers put together two straight wins. Only three players on the Clipper roster were around the last time it happened, exactly 100 games ago.

“We’ve won two in a row and the Lakers have lost two in a row. I’d like to know when the last time that happened,” said Clipper President Alan Rothenberg. “I think it’s never happened since we’ve been in L.A.”

The Clippers got a standing ovation from a Sports Arena crowd of 3,205 at the end of the game.

How about those Clippers (6-8)?

Benoit Benjamin, who led the Clippers with 19 points got a standing ovation when he left the game.

“It’s a real kick to win two straight,” said Benjamin. “I’m hoping we can continue our roll and play well. We knew that we had gone 100 straight games without winning two straight and we wanted to break the streak.”

Benjamin was an intimidating force in the middle as the Clippers outscored Sacramento, 59-34, in the second half to erase an 11-point halftime deficit.

Benjamin had six blocked shots, six rebounds, two assists and a steal. He scored 11 points in the second half.

“I saw that we weren’t doing anything right offensively in the first half and I knew that if I could get something going the guys would respond to me,” Benjamin said.

Said Clipper Coach Gene Shue: “We hadn’t won two straight in 100 games? That’s unbelievable.

“It was a remarkable defensive effort. Earl Cureton did a great job stepping in for Michael Cage in the second half and Quintin Dailey had a great offensive performance. Benoit was steady all night.”

Dailey, who was the hero in the Clippers’ 88-85 win over Philadelphia Wednesday night, had another big game.

Dailey came off the bench to score 19 points, hitting 9 of 15 shots from the floor.

“We’re not going to give up,” Dailey said. “We’re not going to fold down. As long as you play defense you’ll always be there in the end.”

Cureton had six rebounds and two blocked shots as he came off the bench to replace Cage in the second half. Cage, who has been weakened by the flu, had eight rebounds and five points.

Rookie forward Joe Wolf added 14 points and grabbed 4 rebounds. Guard Larry Drew, a former King, scored 13 points and passed off for 7 assists.

Mike Woodson, another former King, scored 16 points for the Clippers. He also had 3 assists.

“It feels fantastic to win two straight,” Woodson said. “Our defense is what won it for us in the second half. Our offense is still struggling, but our defense is keeping us in the game.”

Otis Thorpe scored 18 points to lead Sacramento (4-10). Reggie Theus added 12 points, including 10 in the first half.

The Kings are winless in five road games under new Coach Bill Russell.

Russell waited 25 minutes before opening the locker room to the media after the game.

Asked what he said to his team, Russell quipped: “We were discussing a weakness in my sentence structure. Sometimes my English is lacking.”

He was apparently upset that “the biggest problem tonight was 34 turnovers and they weren’t the result of defense.”

Said Theus: “I think it’s the worst we’ve played, the worst half of basketball, this year. It could be a tough hangover after losing to the Lakers, but that’s a sad excuse.”

The Clippers blitzed the Kings, 33-19, in the final period to hand Sacramento its third straight loss.

After shooting a pathetic 34% in the first half, the Clippers shot 61.1% in the third period and 65.2% in the fourth quarter.

“That’s fantastic,” Shue said.

Dailey got hot in the fourth quarter, scoring 10 points. He also had three rebounds. Wolf added six points and grabbed three rebounds in the final period.

It was the second straight game in which Dailey had a big fourth period. He had 10 points in the final 4 minutes and 41 seconds of the Clippers’ win over the Sixers.

“We’re a team right now. We’re not going to quit no matter how far we’re down,” Dailey said. “Our defense is there. If the offense ever gets going we’ll be a helluva team.”

The Clippers are still two games under .500, but they’re way ahead of last season’s pace. They didn’t win their sixth game until Jan. 28, when they beat the New Jersey Nets to run their record to 6-36.

Clipper Notes The Clippers will play the Phoenix Suns Sunday at 7 p.m. at the Sports Arena. Los Angeles broke a 21-game road losing streak in Phoenix with a 112-96 win over the Suns on Nov. 20 as guard Quintin Dailey scored 22 points and forward Michael Cage added 20 points and grabbed 15 rebounds. Ex-Clipper Franklin Edwards, Ed Pinckney and Harold Pressley had 11 points each for the Kings. The Kings had 41 rebounds to the Clippers’ 34.. . . The Clippers entered the game ranked eighth in defense in the NBA, allowing an average of 105.5 points per game. However, they’re ranked last in offense, averaging 98.2 points per game. And they’re also last in field goal percentage, shooting 44%. . . . With Wednesday’s 88-85 win over Philadelphia, the Clippers have already equalled their win total for the month of December last season. They were 1-12 in December of last season. . . . Cage almost ran over team owner Donald T. Sterling, who was seated at midcourt, while chasing down a basketball.