New Start, Same Finish for Clippers

It started oddly enough, what with the Clippers’ Benoit Benjamin starting at center for the first time in 9 games.

The National Basketball Assn. game continued on that note when two players made back-to-back halfcourt shots with 1 second left in the third quarter.

But the end result was all too familiar for the Clippers, who made 22 turnovers Thursday night in a 125-109 loss to the Houston Rockets before 16,611 at the Summit.

The Clippers, who have lost 11 of their last 13 games, have been plagued by turnovers. They had 23 turnovers Tuesday at Golden State and 24 Saturday at Denver.

It wasn’t only turnovers, however, that did in the Clippers.

Houston forward Buck Johnson, who signed a 3-year contract extension earlier Thursday, responded with a career-high 24 points to lead all scorers.

“He’s one of several guys who stays after practice and works on his fundamentals, and I think it’s showing,” Rocket Coach Don Chaney said. “He’s scoring, rebounding, playing defense and passing the basketball well. I feel he’s just scratching the surface of what he can do. Toward the end of the season, I think he’s going to surprise some people.”

He is already on his way.

After blowing a 19-point first-half lead, the Rockets were ahead, 85-78, with 3 seconds to play in the third quarter when Johnson reached took the ball in the back court, dribbled forward and banked in a 55-foot shot from the left side with 1 second left.

“It’s one of those shots I always dreamed of making,” he said.

The fans celebrated wildly as the Rockets took a 88-78 lead into the fourth quarter.

Or so they thought.

Quick-thinking Clippers Greg Kite and Danny Manning, realizing the clock wouldn’t start until the ball was inbounded, responded in kind.

Kite passed to Manning at midcourt, and Manning turned to make a 43-foot shot just as the buzzer sounded.

“I’ve seen a couple of things like that on the (NBA’s) FANtastic commercial,” said Manning, who had a team-high 21 points for the Clippers, who are 1-13 on the road. “But those were all spliced together. Who knows, maybe that was a FANtastic.”

Manning’s basket brought the Clippers (8-17) to within 7 points, 88-81. But after Houston center Akeem Olajuwon (20 points, 18 rebounds, 6 steals) opened the fourth quarter with 6 unanswered points, the Rockets were never in danger again.

In one stretch, at the end of the third quarter and into the fourth quarter, the Clippers were outscored, 21-7. That run gave the Rockets, winners of 7 straight at home and 4 straight overall, a 102-85 lead with 8:20 left.

The Clippers contributed their share of turnovers.

“Whenever you push the ball, you’re going to have turnovers,” Manning said. “The Lakers have turnovers, but you just don’t notice them because they’re winning . . . When you are coming from behind (like the Clippers), you have to try and make things happen.”

Said Benjamin: “We beat ourselves, I think, by turning the ball over. We just played bad at the wrong time.”

Benjamin, on the other hand, played well. Given his first start in 20 days, he responded with 14 points and 15 rebounds.

“I have to try and develop Ben,” said Clipper Coach Gene Shue, who plans to start Benjamin tonight as the Clippers conclude their 4-game trip at San Antonio. “I’ve seen signs in recent games that indicate to me it’s the right time to move Ben back into the starting lineup, that he’s been consistent.

“He has a tendency to let players catch the ball in deep (while playing defense), but I thought he did a good job tonight, and I told him that afterward.”

Shue also praised guard Gary Grant, who had a season-high 20 points after getting 18 points and 14 rebounds against Golden State on Tuesday night.

“To me,” Shue said, “that’s a bright sign.”