Clippers Sail, Lakers Sink and They’re in Same Boat : Lakers: Team hangs close without Worthy before falling to Trail Blazers, 105-101. Dunleavy ejected.

Coach Mike Dunleavy wasn’t around to see the second half of the Lakers’ 105-101 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers Tuesday night.

Dunleavy was ejected by referee Bill Oakes at halftime when he complained to the official for not calling a foul as they were walking off the court.

“I wasn’t trying to get (a technical),” Dunleavy said after being kicked out for the first time as an NBA head coach. “I didn’t use vulgarity and I didn’t embarrass the official in front of anyone. What I said was, ‘Is the reason you didn’t call a foul on A.C. Green because the clock was running down?’ ”

Assistant coach Bill Bertka took over after Dunleavy was ejected.

“From my personal standpoint, I was happy with the way the guys adjusted,” Bertka said. “When you get a new voice in the huddle, sometimes it’s disrupting for a team. There was a period when I thought the guys were having trouble and didn’t have the same intensity they had in the first half.

“When we took a timeout I said, ‘Hey listen, regardless of who’s coaching we’ve got to get the job done.’ And they turned that around.”

The Lakers (30-28), who have lost 10 of their last 11 games, are tied with the Clippers for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

The Lakers, who suffered the second-worst loss in team history when they lost to the Trail Blazers by 39 points in their last game here, had a chance to win this one as Elden Campbell came off the bench and made his first seven shots en route to a personal-best 25 points.

Chucky Brown started his second game at forward in place of injured forward James Worthy, but Campbell started the second half in place of Brown.

“I hadn’t started the last couple games, and I was adjusting to coming off the bench,” Campbell said. “I was just ready to do what I could when I did get in. I thought myself that Chucky was a better matchup against (Jerome) Kersey because of his size and speed.”

With a 103-101 lead after Sam Perkins made two free throws with 29 seconds left, Portland ran the clock down to 8.9 seconds before A.C. Green fouled guard Terry Porter.

Porter, who scored a season-high 30 points, made two free throws to give Portland a four-point lead.

“I was pleased with the effort,” Bertka said. “You have to remember the last two times we played up here they beat us by historical scores. This is probably the second-best team in basketball next to the Chicago Bulls, and to play them this well under these conditions speaks well.”

The Trail Blazers looked as if they might duplicate their earlier 131-92 blowout of the Lakers.

Portland used a 12-0 run in a 2:06 span to take a 16-4 lead. The Trail Blazers made six consecutive shots after center Kevin Duckworth missed a 10-footer on the opening possession.

But the Lakers outscored the Trail Blazers, 15-2, holding Portland without a field goal for 5:32, to take a 19-18 lead. Portland took a 26-24 lead after the first quarter.

Campbell made all six shots he took in the first half, scoring 14 points in 15 minutes. He scored 12 points in the second quarter as the Lakers outscored Portland, 16-8, to tie it at 48-48 with 1:11 left in the half.

However, the Trail Blazers went on a 5-0 run to take a 53-48 lead at intermission.

Laker Notes

Chucky Brown had four points and three rebounds in 16 minutes. . . . Elden Campbell’s previous personal best of 20 points was set last month against Golden State. . . . Laker guard Sedale Threatt tied his season high with six steals. . . . Portland guard Terry Porter was four for five on three-point attempts.

A Rarity

This is the first time the Clippers have been tied with or ahead of the Lakers this late in the season since the Clippers were the Buffalo Braves. At the end of the 1975-76 season, Buffalo had a 46-36 record and the Lakers finished at 40-42. Here are the Pacific Division standings:

TEAM W L PCT. GB Portland 40 18 .690 -- Golden State 39 18 .684 1/2 Phoenix 38 22 .633 3 Seattle 33 26 .559 7 1/2 Clippers 30 28 .517 10 Lakers 30 28 .517 10 Sacramento 20 38 .345 20