Clipper Victory One for a Gallery : Pro basketball: They paint a masterpiece in winning their third game in a row, 111-87 over the Phoenix Suns.

The Phoenix Suns were history Wednesday night by the second quarter. All the Clippers had to chase the rest of the way was their own history.

They didn’t catch the franchise margin-of-victory record of 37 points or the Los Angeles Clipper mark of 34, but they did catch the Suns flat-footed, opening the game with a run for the ages. The Clippers didn’t finish too badly, either, scoring their second victory in as many nights, 111-87 before 9,383.

Catapulted by beating the Lakers the night before at the Forum, the Clippers set one mark, Doc Rivers’ franchise record of nine steals--seven in the first half--in his regular-season home debut; and tied another, the team theft record of 22.

Other than that, it was simply 12-man symmetry.

“Things went a little better than we anticipated,” acknowledged center Olden Polynice, who had a game-high 23 points. “But once we got going, we got into a groove. Your confidence builds. You feel like you can’t do anything wrong. That’s what it looked like tonight.”

Said Rivers, who broke the record of eight steals held by Randy Smith and Bob Weiss: “Coming off the big win and then doing what we did tonight, things are going great. It was like every time we stuck our hands out, the ball went right into it.”

Knowing the history of Clipper letdowns after big victories, Coach Mike Schuler said a bad showing against Phoenix would take away so much of what they accomplished against the Lakers. To a man, the team agreed.

The last the Suns, coming off a home loss the night before against the Indiana Pacers, saw of the lead was 10-8. Any chance of staying in the game left soon after.

The Clippers went on a 32-6 run to end the first quarter for a 38-16 advantage.

It reached 49-21 on Loy Vaught’s layup with 8:23 left in the first half, making the run 43-11.

The lead reached 30 points, at 61-31, when Danny Manning caught Ron Harper’s three-point attempt airball and turned it into a layup with 1:44 to play in the second quarter.

People began reaching for superlatives and the record book.

Ralph Lawler, who has broadcast Clipper games since 1978, said it was the best he has seen them play in Los Angeles or San Diego.

“It was certainly embarrassing,” said Phoenix guard Kevin Johnson, who had 10 assists, but eight turnovers. “Not because they’re the Clippers, but because of the way we played.”

Only on this night could other first-half numbers blend: 10 assists and no turnovers for Gary Grant, who finished with 14 assists and one turnover; 19 points for Harper, who added only two more the rest of the way; and 18 points for Polynice.

“You’re surprised to be up by 30 on the worst team in the league,” Rivers said. “They are one of the best teams in the league.”

And now the Clippers are 3-1.

Clipper Notes

The day after the victory against the Lakers, the Clippers were still up. That was especially important to Doc Rivers, who played for the first time Tuesday and went 30 minutes, including all of overtime, after missing the first two games because of a sore back. “Stiff and sore,” was how Rivers described his morning-after condition. “I still am. But it will go away. I was on the floor a little bit more than I wanted to last night. I must have been laying on the ground (after being knocked down) three or four times.” The pain was enough at the start of overtime that it crossed his mind to ask to come out, but Rivers considered it too big a game.

How big was the victory over the Lakers? For emotional value, probably the most important since the Clippers broke another long losing streak at Boston Garden on Jan. 5, 1990, if not even beyond that. “This was only the third game of the season, but it was definitely the biggest win of my career,” said fifth-year forward Ken Norman, the Clipper leader in tenure. Said James Edwards, noting the meaning of the victory for his new teammates: “I was happy for them, and I was happy for me and the team as a whole.”