Double Loss for Clippers : Pro basketball: Rivers injures hamstring in comeback attempt as Kings score 112-109 victory.

Doc Rivers’ comeback didn’t last Friday night, and neither did the Clippers’.

Rivers, in his first game in nearly three weeks, suffered another injury to his left hamstring during the third quarter and now might be out until after the All-Star break. The Clippers, in their first game since last Saturday, rallied from an early deficit, but missed five of their last six free throws and lost to last-place Sacramento, 112-109, their fourth consecutive defeat here.

The Clippers have also lost in 12 of their last 17 visits since the Kings moved from Kansas City. This time, they wasted 17 rebounds from Olden Polynice and 21 points by Charles Smith.

Rivers was hurt when taking off for a layup with a little more than nine minutes left in the third quarter.

“I learned,” he said. “If I had to do it again, I’d sit out until it healed completely. That’s the first thing I said to myself when it happened--’Gosh darn, I’m so bull-headed.’ I should just have stayed out until after the all-star break.”

The Clippers have frustrations of their own.

The score was tied at 107-107, but Mitch Richmond put the Kings (14-30) ahead for good with two free throws with 55 seconds to play. Duane Causwell blocked Smith’s shot on the Clippers’ next possession, and then Richmond sealed the victory with a basket from the left side.

“Would the five free throws have helped us win the game?” Clipper Coach Mike Schuler asked. “There isn’t a single thing I can do about that, or any coach can do about that.”

Looking to avoid a second two-game losing streak to the Pacific Division’s last-place team in three seasons, the Clippers got a boost with the return of Rivers after four games because of a strained left hamstring. He immediately went into the starting lineup, replacing Danny Young.

But it was Gary Grant, pushed to No. 3 on the depth chart for at least the time being, who sparked a second-quarter rally that helped bring the Clippers back from a 29-20 deficit. They tied the score at 33-33 on Grant’s jumper from the left side.

But the Clippers trailed by 60-49 at halftime as Lionel Simmons had 16 points, Spud Webb 14 and Wayman Tisdale 13.

Rivers’ rehabilitation had gone without a hitch since he suffered the injury Jan. 16 at Seattle, to the point that he had two consecutive days of full-scale practice. But on the third, Thursday, he felt unexpected tightness and pulled out after only an hour.

The plan Friday was to limit him to 25 minutes, preferably in small units. And in an attempt to keep the leg loose, Rivers wore a sleeve on the hamstring and spent one stretch of the game running in the hallway leading from the locker room to the court.

That all worked well, for a while. Rivers went out after only 15 minutes.

Clipper Notes

The Clippers have gotten this far without any fines being assessed as a result of six players leaving the bench during last Saturday’s near-skirmish against the New York Knicks, but they might not be in the clear yet. Larry Richardson, the NBA’s assistant director of security, called Clipper center James Edwards, who was in the middle of the incident, probably to get more information before filing a report. Edwards at first forgot to return the call, but said he plans to early next week. League policy in the past has been $500 fines for any player leaving the bench during an on-court incident. . . . This was the Clippers’ second and last appearance of the season on national television.

Remembering how Dominique Wilkins, his former long-time teammate with the Atlanta Hawks, had visited him during rehabilitation from a back injury and offered continuous support, Doc Rivers called the Hawks’ training room to do the same Tuesday after Wilkins suffered a season-ending Achilles’ tendon injury. Rivers said he remembered the phone number from his playing days and calls occasionally to speak with Hawk trainer and friend Joe O’Toole. “He sounded terrible,” Rivers said of Wilkins. “He sounded worried. That’s to be expected.” For the record: The Clippers did not lose to Indiana last month, as reported Friday. They beat the Pacers, 104-102, on a layup by Ron Harper.