Mullin and Warriors Get Past Clippers, 101-96

Guard Chris Mullin of the Golden State Warriors hit bottom when he checked into an alcohol rehabilitation clinic last December.

Mullin, however, is playing the best basketball of his three-year National Basketball Assn. career since being released from the clinic in January.

Mullin scored 24 points as the Warriors handed the Clippers their sixth straight loss, 101-96, Friday night before 7,276 fans at the Sports Arena.

“I’m in a lot better shape,” Mullin said. “I feel a lot better about everything. For a long while, playing wasn’t much fun; now it’s as much fun as it has ever been.

“I’ve been going out and doing what I like.”

Mullin won’t talk about his drinking problem. He discussed it at a press conference after he returned to the team, but the subject is now off-limits.

“Mullin is playing super,” Warrior Coach George Karl said after his team won its second straight after eight losses. “The only complaint I have with him is that sometimes he tries to do too much.”

Mullin hit 10 of 17 shots and had 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 steal in 35 minutes.

Forward Rod Higgins added 21 points, including 9 in the final quarter, as the Warriors held off the Clippers.

Warrior center Dave Feitl, playing in place of Ralph Sampson, who has undergone knee surgery, grabbed 16 rebounds and added 13 points, and rookie guard Winston Garland had 12 assists and 12 points.

Guard Mike Woodson scored 21 points as the Clippers (12-46) lost their sixth straight game.

Rookie forward Ken Norman had a season-high 18 points and also grabbed a season-high 13 rebounds.

Norman, who got off to a slow start this season, is ending the season on a high note.

He had a season-high 16 points in the Clippers’ 97-93 loss to New Jersey Wednesday night and had an even stronger effort against the Warriors.

“I knew that if I kept working harder I’d get an opportunity to play, so I just kept working hard in practice and it’s beginning to pay off,” Norman said.

“You’re going nowhere without confidence and in the last two weeks I haven’t had a lot of confidence. But Coach (Gene) Shue has been working with me in the last two weeks after practice, and that’s given me the confidence to work harder. I just want to be a player in this league.”

Shue said: “Ken is going to be a player in this league. I’m encouraged by the way he’s been playing except for the turnovers.”

Norman made all seven shots he took from the floor and hit four of seven free throws. The only negative was that he had 8 turnovers in 41 minutes.

Center Benoit Benjamin got off to a slow start, failing to score a point in the first half.

Benjamin, however, had a strong second half as the Clippers almost pulled the game out.

Benjamin scored 14 points, grabbed 8 rebounds, passed off for 4 assists and blocked 3 shots.

“They ran a lot of double and triple teams at me,” Benjamin said. “But I just tried to get out there and help my teammates out, pass the ball around and play good defense.”

The Clippers, who got off to a promising start, are sinking like the Titanic as the season winds down, losing 20 of their last 22 games.

“It’s really frustrating,” said Woodson, the Clipper captain. “I didn’t expect the season to be like this. It’s the same old thing again and it’s very frustrating.”

The Clippers, who have the worst offense in the NBA, have been depleted by injuries in the last month.

They went into the game with just nine healthy players. Three players sat out the game.

Forward Michael Cage, the NBA’s third-leading rebounder, was out with pneumonia for the second straight game. He isn’t expected back until next week.

Guard Quintin Dailey, the Clippers’ leading scorer off the bench, was sidelined with a hamstring injury and rookie swingman Reggie Williams missed the game with a knee injury.