Garland Helps Warriors to 123-116 Win Over Clippers

Coach George Karl of the Golden State Warriors thought he had made a mistake when he cut rookie guard Winston Garland earlier this season.

“I liked Winston, but we didn’t have any room for him because we had Sleepy (Floyd),” Karl said.

The Warriors re-signed Garland last month after they sent Floyd to the Houston Rockets along with center J.B. Carroll in exchange for center Ralph Sampson.

Getting Garland back may turn out to be one of the best moves the Warriors have made this season.

Garland, who has replaced Floyd as the starting point guard, exploded for a season-high 27 points and passed off for 11 assists as the Warriors beat the Clippers, 123-116, Friday night before a crowd of 9,108 at the Oakland Coliseum Arena.

“He went from the streets to the starting lineup,” Karl said.

The Warriors played Friday night without their two best players--Sampson and forward Larry Smith.

Sampson missed the game because he was in Houston, where his wife, Aleize, gave birth to their first child Wednesday. He will rejoin the Warriors tonight in Denver for a game against the Nuggets.

Smith is out with a strained right thigh.

However, Garland and backcourt mate Otis Smith (23 points) filled the void as the Warriors broke a four-game losing streak.

Garland scored 23 points in the second half. He had 10 in the third quarter, including a three-pointer that tied the score at 89-89 going into the final period.

He then scored 13 points in the fourth quarter as the Warriors fought off a Clipper comeback. For the game, Garland hit 9 of 14 shots.

“I don’t think (Garland) did anything wrong,” Clipper Coach Gene Shue said. “I think if Sampson and Smith had played tonight, we might have won. Most NBA teams find ways to reach out and find ways to win without their stars. The other guys step forward and find a way to win.”

Said Garland: “I think everybody came out and played as hard as they could because we were short-handed. I got some rhythm tonight and I was open, so I took more shots.”

Said forward Michael Cage, who led the Clippers with 24 points and 18 rebounds: “I’d never heard of (Otis) Smith and Garland, but they looked like All-Stars tonight. Golden State played an incredible game. I don’t think they missed anything down the stretch.”

Said guard Mike Woodson, who had 21 points for Los Angeles: “If we didn’t know who Garland was, we know now. Who was guarding them? There was nobody on Garland and Smith.”

The Clippers (9-24), who were flying high after defeating the Lakers, 110-109, in overtime Wednesday night, returned to normal against Golden State (6-25).

Just 48 hours after beating the best team in the NBA, the Clippers lost to the league’s worst team.

After falling behind by 17 points to the Warriors in the first half, the Clippers came back to take a 7-point lead in the third period. However, they collapsed in the final period.

“We just got off to a very sluggish start,” Shue said. “We allowed them to score 35 points in the first quarter. We dug ourselves a hole and fell behind by 17 and we had to play catchup after that.”

Clipper Notes

The Warriors placed forward Larry Smith on the injured list with a strained right thigh, which is expected to keep him out of action for two to three weeks. It’s the third time this season that Smith has been on the injured list. . . . Guard Chris Mullin of the Warriors returned to the team after undergoing treatment for an alcohol problem. He began practicing with the team, but he isn’t expected to play until Jan. 25, when the Warriors meet the Milwaukee Bucks here. “We’re going to bring Chris back slowly,” Warrior Coach George Karl said. “We’re going to make sure he feels comfortable before we activate him.” Mullin, who discussed his alcohol problem during a press conference Thursday, won’t talk about it anymore. He sat on the bench dressed in civilian clothes. . . . The Clippers return home tonight to host the Seattle SuperSonics at the Sports Arena. . . . Coach Gene Shue said the Clippers hope to sign another player by Monday to replace Reggie Williams, who was placed on the injured list Thursday with a strained left knee. They had hoped to sign guard Terence Stansbury, who was with Seattle for the last two seasons. However, he just left to play in the Netherlands. If they can’t get Stansbury, Shue said they’ll probably sign a player from the Continental Basketball Assn. . . . Junior Bridgeman, who does commentary on the Clippers’ TV games, will have his number retired by the Milwaukee Bucks Monday.