Clippers Still Going Nowhere but Down, 127-113

Another combination failed Friday night for the Clippers, who appear to be a team full of tumblers.

Downward they go in the standings, another loss deeper into the basement of the Pacific Division, after a 127-113 thrashing at the hands of the Golden State Warriors before a crowd of 9,627 at the Sports Arena.

So, Gene Shue, having tried a new lineup in an attempt to end the Clippers’ 7-game losing streak, is no magician. But how much longer will he be coach?

Despite Shue’s attempts to downplay the situation by saying that there is always pressure in his position, it is tough to deny that the vultures are circling. Two postgame closed-door meetings that included owner Donald Sterling, General Manager Elgin Baylor and assistant coach Don Casey were a good indication of that.

Baylor said: “If you’re asking if any decision was made tonight or will be made tomorrow, it’s no.

“The present situation, the way it is now, I don’t think you have to discuss anything. I think the situation speaks for itself.”

Veteran guard Norm Nixon said: “The guys are demoralized now. We’re playing worse now than on the first day of training camp.”

The Clippers, who got 35 points and 20 rebounds from Ken Norman, both career highs, were virtually out of this one by halftime, when they trailed, 68-57.

They had used the same starting lineup in consecutive outings only twice in the previous 11 games, and the shuffling continued against the Warriors. Shue went with Charles Smith, Joe Wolf and Benoit Benjamin in the front court, and Quintin Dailey and Nixon at guards--the first time they’ve started together.

The Warriors had some new twists, too, mainly because their Twin Towers--Ralph Sampson and Manute Bol--were injured. Their tallest starter was 6-foot 8-inch Larry Smith, and 3 others were 6-5 or shorter.

Still, Golden State, looking for its third straight win, committed only 2 turnovers in the first half and outscored the Clippers, 9-2, in the final 1:34 of the second quarter.

Chris Mullin, who scored 30 points when Golden State beat the Clippers last month in Oakland, had 17 in the first half of the rematch and finished with 28. Rookie Mitch Richmond added 27.

And for all their size disadvantage, the Warriors were out-rebounded by only 56-50.

The Warriors, who went on a 15-6 run to open the second half, extended their lead to 20 points, 83-63, with 7:42 to play in the third quarter and never looked back.

Clipper Notes

Danny Manning will undergo reconstructive surgery on his right knee this morning at Centinela Hospital Medical Center in Inglewood, the Clippers announced. Dr. Stephen Lombardo will perform the operation, which is expected to last 1 to 2 hours. The anterior cruciate ligament will be replaced with a tendon from another part of the leg. In most such cases, a patient can leave the hospital within 3 days, begin workouts on a stationary bike in 4 to 6 weeks, start running in 3 to 4 months and return to light basketball in 6 months.

Manning’s surgery will have an effect on at least one other National Basketball Assn. team besides the Clippers--the San Antonio Spurs, for whom his father, Ed Manning, is an assistant coach. Larry Brown, the Spurs’ head coach, said he has already talked to Ed about going to Los Angeles to be with Danny. He said that Ed probably will be given plenty of college and pro scouting assignments in the area in order to be close to his son. Time off is also a possibility. “Whatever is necessary,” said Brown, who coached Danny last season at the University of Kansas. “I don’t think Ed would want to stop what he’s doing to help this team, but hopefully we’ll work it out so Ed can be out there. . . . I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

When Archie Marshall blew out his left knee last season at Kansas, Manning responded by wearing Marshall’s No. 23 on his wristband in the final months of the season. Recalled Marshall: “He always gave me the extra incentive to get through my workouts, but he was one of the only people who didn’t keep talking about the injury itself. It’s like he didn’t want to keep bringing up the past and was only concerned with the future. Every time he saw me, he asked if I was working hard to get back.” Marshall, now rehabilitating the left knee in his hometown of Tulsa, Okla., said he is 75% to 80% back and hopes to get an NBA tryout next season. In a mostly sentimental move by Brown, the Spurs picked Marshall in the third round of the 1988 draft, even though he was far from being in condition.

Gary Grant did not dress because of a bruised right thigh suffered in practice Thursday. His status is day-to-day. . . . The Clippers face the Lakers Sunday at the Sports Arena in a rare 3 p.m. start.