Clippers Find All’s Well That Ends Well, Beating SuperSonics, 104-103

To think that this was the game the Clippers had been waiting for. They get out-rebounded by one player, one of the franchise’s biggest critics at that, for most of the night, get lit up by another at a ridiculous pace and everyone leaves happy.

That makes about as much sense as Winston Garland going one of five from the field and ending up the hero.

Such was the Clipper fate Sunday, when Garland swished a 19-foot jump shot with 7.8 seconds left to decide the 104-103 come-from-behind victory over the Seattle SuperSonics at the Sports Arena.

With everything else that happened, it’s not hard to believe that Garland was improvising. That final Clipper play, with Seattle leading by a point, was supposed to go inside to get a high-percentage shot or a foul.

But with no one open and the clock running down, Garland moved a few steps in front of the three-point line and connected. His only points of the game capped a 13-2 Clipper run over the final 4:17.

“The effort defensively was just fantastic,” Coach Don Casey said. “I’m so happy we won this game after coming so close. We kept selling the idea of what we did against the Lakers, of what we did against the other teams. But you can only sell so much.”

So ring this up as a gold-card spending spree: A victory over a possible playoff team and a one-point victory for only the second time, after six losses of the same. This after having lost seven of the previous eight during a tough stretch of the schedule, three by eight points or less.

“A big feather,” Garland said. “We definitely needed a win, and we got one at a great time.”

The Clippers (28-45) trailed to start the fourth quarter, 88-75. They were still down, 101-91, before the charge over the last 4:17, five players contributing baskets.

Before Garland’s basket, the Clippers had not led since 35-34 midway through the second quarter. After that shot, Seattle called time out and inbounded the ball at halfcourt to Xavier McDaniel, who got as close as the free-throw line before Garland stepped up on the double-team to knock the ball away. Nate McMillan’s jump shot from the left missed. Michael Cage’s last-second try, after his 21st rebound, also was off.

Cage had just three fewer rebounds than all the Clipper individuals--team rebounds pushed them to 34--and 12 came on the offensive end. But the one he needed most, the one that would have dropped his former team’s magic number for elimination from the playoff race to one, didn’t go.

Dale Ellis was equally uncharacteristic at the end, likewise ending his brilliant shooting performance with nothing.

Through three quarters, he was 17 of 23 for 39 points.

He finished 17 of 25 for 39 points.

“At least we did something when it counted,” Casey said.

Credit Danny Manning, mostly. As soon as the 6-foot-11 Manning began shadowing the 6-7 Ellis, the game changed.

Manning also had 22 points in a reserve role, a team high. For the second consecutive game, five teammates also broke double figures, with Charles Smith at 21 and Norman at 20.

Clipper Notes

X-rays taken Thursday showed the left ankle of Gary Grant to have healed from the break suffered Feb. 2 at Miami, team physician Dr. Tony Daly said. Grant will probably have the plate and five pins, inserted to help the recuperation process, removed in May, although there is no hurry. He can resume rehabilitation workouts approximately three weeks after that and should be able to play in the summer, if he chooses . . . Winston Garland has had headaches just about every day since his ugly fall last Monday against Minnesota, although Sunday they disappeared by game time. . . . Tom Garrick said the 18 assists he had in Friday’s loss to Atlanta was a true career high, the most he has had in college or the pros.