Clippers Are Given Cause to Celebrate : Pro basketball: Charles Smith scores career-high 40 points as club holds on to win at Indiana, 107-105.

Finally, Charles Smith will allow himself to celebrate.

In seven previous games, the Clipper forward averaged 28.3 points, including three performances of 30 or better. The Clippers won one, Tuesday night over Seattle at the Sports Arena.

Saturday night, before 12,823 at Market Square Arena, Smith scored a career-high 40 points. And the Clippers beat the Indiana Pacers, 107-105, sweeping the two-game season series against a possible playoff team in the process.

“I feel really good now,” Smith said. “Not only was I scoring, but, best of all, we won the game.”

The 40 points also represent the most by any Clipper this season, topping the 39 by Danny Manning and Ron Harper, and Smith had 24 of those at halftime and 36 by the end of the third quarter.

But while he may have been a small factor on the scoreboard in the final 12 minutes, Smith’s impact in other areas helped the Clippers improve to 23-34 and win for the second time in three games.

The Pacers certainly felt it.

On defense: With the score tied, 105-105, after Smith made a turn-around jumper from the right baseline, Manning and Smith double-teamed Detlef Schrempf in the low post. Manning swatted the potential game-winner away and Clipper Tom Garrick picked up the ball.

On offense: After a Clipper timeout with 4.8 seconds left, Manning prepared for the entry pass from half court. Smith set a screen on Chuck Person at the free-throw line that allowed Garrick to break free. Garrick caught the ball from Manning under the basket and, all alone, layed it in with his left hand.

“There was one guy on the ball and two guys on Charlie,” said Garrick, who had 12 points and five assists, with no turnovers. “Somebody had to be open.”

When Reggie Miller’s desperation jumper at the buzzer for Indiana went wide, the Clippers had a victory in their first game since it was revealed players recently met with owner Donald T. Sterling and asked that Coach Don Casey be fired.

The Clippers blew an 11-point third-quarter lead and then came back for what is probably their biggest victory since they beat the Lakers Jan. 30.

“I think catching this team (Indiana), great shooters that they are, and with these kids on the road is a tremendous lift,” Casey said after the Clippers won here for only the second time in 11 seasons. “Despite the fact that there are other areas to draw their attention, they focused on what they should.”

Said Smith, who is shooting 58% (69 of 119) the last seven games after making 13 of 20 against the Pacers: “It was real good. It makes us think if we would have played like this (Thursday) night, with a few breaks at Charlotte, we should be 2-0 on the trip.

Instead, after an overtime loss to the Hornets, the league’s losingest team, they are 1-1. One thing remains constant, however: changing lineups.

Saturday, Manning was a starter again after coming off the bench the previous game and Benoit Benjamin spent a lot of time watching as Casey went with a smaller lineup to offset the Pacers’ quickness. Benjamin played nine minutes in the first half and eight in the second.

The matchups worked well, especially Rik Smits on Smith. The Clippers intended to attack Smits whether he guarded Manning or Smith, but he just happened to be on the Clippers’ hottest offensive weapon.

One who, at last, feels like celebrating.

General Manager Elgin Baylor reaffirmed previous comments by Sterling that Casey will not be fired before the end of the season, a request made by some players.

“I told Casey and I told the players that there are still a lot of games left and that everyone should continue to give their best effort,” Baylor said from Los Angeles. “Right now, no changes are anticipated this season and everyone will be reviewed afterward. Whatever is best for the team will happen.”

Clipper Notes

The most points scored against the Pacers this season are the 40 by Charles Smith and the 39 by Ron Harper, the latter coming Dec. 19 at the Sports Arena in the teams’ first game. . . . The Clippers have won eight road games, one more than the previous two seasons combined. . . . Of the team-high 28 points by Indiana’s Reggie Miller, 23 came in the second half.