Trail Blazers Leave Clippers in the Dust : Pro basketball: After a tie score at halftime, Portland pulls away to a 117-107 victory.

The Clippers returned to the Sports Arena Friday night after a 1-5 trip and went into their Wizard of Oz routine for a while.

But their “no place like home” act lasted only a half. Then they got the tornado treatment from the Portland Trail Blazers, who clearly were in no mood for a close game after a rare reintroduction to defeat the night before. So the Trail Blazers ended this one early in the second half with a blast from the past of most every Clipper, turning a tie score into a runaway and eventually a 117-107 victory before 13,858.

“The elite teams, after a disappointing game, come out the next time and show what happened was a mistake,” said Portland center Kevin Duckworth, who had 17 points and 10 rebounds. “That’s what it is all about.”

This Clipper-Trail Blazer rivalry, or what passes for one, is about such outcomes. In the teams’ 25 meetings, Portland has won 24, the last eight of them in a row. This time the Trail Blazers had double-figure scoring from six players to improve to a league-best 23-3 and move 6 1/2 games up on second-place Phoenix in the Pacific Division.

What made this one different was that the Clippers appeared destined for a commendable showing, at least until the second half began. That’s when the Trail Blazers, who missed two slam dunks and several other shots within a few feet during the opening two quarters, had a 22-4 run in the first 5:49 of the third quarter. It turned a 53-53 halftime score into a distant memory. Portland’s burst continued until it scored on 13 consecutive possessions while the Clippers made one of their first 12 shots, giving the Trail Blazers an 80-62 lead.

In all, the Clippers were outscored, 42-21, in the third quarter. The Trail Blazers’ lead peaked at 24 points, 98-74, with 11:21 remaining when Clyde Drexler’s jump shot accounted for three of his 24 points.

“I told them today a lot of times teams finish a long road trip and come home and relax,” Coach Mike Schuler said of his Clippers. “I told them we weren’t going to do that. I said this is too important a game. And the first half they did play like that. I admit they really fooled me coming out for the second half. I didn’t expect to see that at all.

“If I had the answer to what happened in the third quarter, I would certainly give it to you and be able to do something about it. . . . We were absolutely as flat as anybody could be.”

Because of it, today they’re a little bit lower, too. By losing for the fifth time in a row and the seventh time in their last eight games, the Clippers (10-15) dropped into sixth place in the seven-team Pacific, 2 1/2 games away from last-place Sacramento.

The one step up came from Bo Kimble, who needed it most. The rookie guard, in his second game off the bench after having gone 16 of 55 (29.1%) the previous eight outings, made nine of 18 shots for a team-high 24 points in his best showing in weeks. That included a season-high three three-point baskets.

Outside shooting was a key to the Clippers’ strong first half. Jeff Martin, who missed all six of his shots Wednesday when he replaced Kimble in the lineup, went five of seven before intermission. But Martin was shut out in 10 minutes of action in the second half, when he took only three more shots.

Danny Manning had 21 points and 10 rebounds for the Clippers. Ken Norman added 19 and 12 and Loy Vaught 14 and 11, respectively. Gary Grant had 12 assists, but only one in the second half.

“No team should come into our house and do what they did to us,” Norman said. “In order for us to get to the level Portland is, we need to work much harder, in practice situations and game situations.”

Clipper Notes

Benoit Benjamin remains day-to-day in his recovery from oral surgery, but he said before the game he will probably miss Sunday’s contest against Sacramento and return Wednesday against the Lakers at the Sports Arena. He supposedly has dropped enough weight to reach the mid-260s, where the Clippers wanted him, but has not worked out since having four wisdom teeth extracted Dec. 9. The sixth-year center started back on solid food four days ago, and Thursday and Friday he skipped planned sessions of riding a stationary bicycle because of dizziness and a painful mouth. Benjamin missed a $100,000 bonus when he failed to show up for the first day of training camp at or below 265 pounds and recently has been in the 280s. The Clippers’ reaction has been to hold off on starting negotiations for a new contract.

Randy Hersh, the Clipper director of marketing, resigned to become team services manager for the NBA. She has been with the organization 5 1/2 seasons. . . . The Clippers averaged only 96.5 points on their just-completed trip. . . . Friday marked the debut of a pair of new scoreboards in the Sports Arena known as the Hustle Board. Each will keep track of rebounds, blocked shots and steals for both teams.