Clippers End Slump, Beat Cavaliers

For the Clippers, who have teased their fans and their rookie coach with the possibility of victory only to fall short on several occasions, this was no idle flirting. This was, to be sure, the real thing.

A 13-game losing streak and growing frustration after only one win in 73 days disappeared Friday night in the amount of time it took Ken Norman to grab Joe Wolf’s out-of-bounds pass under the basket and lay it in with two ticks remaining. The shot upset the Cleveland Cavaliers, 105-103, before a raucous crowd of 13,820 at the Sports Arena.

The big victory--any victory is big for the Clippers--came from the simplest of beginnings, Casey drawing the game-winner in chalk on the floor in front of the bench. But it worked playbook-perfect, putting one of the league’s worst teams ahead of one of its best for good.

In fact, Cleveland never led.

The Clippers had lost seven games by seven or fewer points under Casey, and this one, against the team with the best record in the league, had similar possibilities. After all, they had blown an 11-point fourth-quarter lead before Norman pulled it out.

For the Clippers, Norman scored 25 points, Cleveland native Gary Grant had 18 assists and 10 points, and Quintin Dailey led all scorers with 29 points.

The Cavaliers, who have lost four of their last five games and seen their lead in the Central Division cut to 1 1/2 games over idle Detroit, had a last chance to tie. But Mark Price’s 18-foot jumper from the right side, while he was running to his left, missed as time expired.

“The players have hung with us, the staff, and with themselves through all types of adversity and troubles,” Casey said. “But they’re resilient. And tonight, they did a lot of growing up.”

Grant had 15 of his assists after two quarters, which tied Ernie DiGregorio’s 15-year-old franchise record for most in a half. The Clippers were up, 55-49, by then, Dailey having scored 16 of his points on 8-for-10 shooting.

The Clippers, who shot 53.1% in the first half against the league’s third-toughest defense, pushed the advantage to 13 in the third period, 75-62. They matched that margin again moments later at 79-66.

The Cavaliers would eventually knock that cushion down but not all the way.

“We were terrible tonight,” Cleveland Coach Lenny Wilkens said. “I don’t know many different ways you can say that.”

At least for one night, both teams defied their usual descriptions.

Clipper Notes

Danny Manning, in his first appearance at a Clipper game since Jan. 11, said it often has been discouraging seeing the team struggle without him and not being able to get any closer than watching on TV. “It’s hard,” he said in a pregame news conference. “I start to sweat sometimes (while watching), my palms get clammy. I want to be out there.” . . . Guard Reggie Williams’ wife gave birth to a 9-pound 9-ounce boy last Saturday. The couple named him Reggie Jr. . . . The Clippers started the night averaging just 16.2 turnovers a game in the last five outings. That’s a decrease of 4.5 from their season average. . . . Norm Nixon did not dress because of bronchitis. . . . The Clippers worked out at Loyola Marymount Thursday, their sixth practice site since the start of training camp.