Clippers Run Out of Steam, Lose in Boston : Pro basketball: Celtics commit one turnover in first half and blow game open in third quarter, winning, 117-100.

The Clippers got one final black-and-blue mark before leaving the East Coast, a 117-100 loss Friday to the Boston Celtics.

The only thing that has grown with their confidence the last couple weeks is their list of injuries. With Doc Rivers and James Edwards home nursing sprained ankles and three others playing hurt, the pain and fatigue showed at Boston Garden.

Now the Clippers get to come home after the 2-2 trip to rest for one day before facing the Golden State Warriors Sunday at the Sports Arena.

“Tonight, we were not in the game,” Coach Larry Brown said. “They just wore us down.”

The Clippers started well, leading, 28-22, late in the first quarter. They trailed, 58-52, at halftime and 62-58 early in the third quarter.

“That doesn’t mean a heck of a lot,” Brown said. “When you don’t get loose balls or rebounds, when the other team has one turnover, you’re not dictating a lot of things.”

He would be proved right soon enough. The Celtics blew the game open in the third quarter, scoring on eight consecutive possessions and 11 of 14 to end the period. They had started to pull away when the Clippers went 4:52 without a point, then left little doubt in the flash of 6 1/2 minutes of offense that included:

A free throw by Reggie Lewis.

Two free throws by Robert Parish.

A free-throw-line jump shot by Dee Brown.

After the Celtics had three scoreless possessions, Larry Bird hit a driving layup.

Lewis followed with two jump shots, one from each side. The second, with 2:04 left, made it 80-65.

Ed Pinckney had one free throw, then the Celtics really poured it on: a three-point shot by Bird from the right side, followed by a three-point play by Rick Fox. It was 87-67, and they weren’t finished.

Brown connected on an 18-footer. The string seemed to be ended on the final possession of the quarter when Fox’s three-pointer from along the left baseline missed, but Joe Kleine tipped in the rebound as time expired. It was 91-71 heading into the fourth quarter.

“It came gradually,” Dee Brown said. “As the game went on, our running game picked up and the defense got more intense. Everything came together. It looked real good because everyone got open shots, layups and free throws. It looked real good to be able to blow the game open so quick.”

The Celtics gave a lesson in ball movement, an area in which the Clippers are hoping to become more consistent.

How precise was Boston? The Celtics had one turnover in the first half, four by the end of the third quarter and nine in the game--three in the final 52 seconds. Only one Celtic, Fox, finished with more than one turnover.

“It was a lot of fun,” Lewis said. “Everyone contributed and everyone was having fun. It’s the kind of game you love being a part of. You wish all 82 games could be like this.”

Said Larry Brown: “They missed three or four shots because they over-passed. But that’s a pleasant problem to have.”

That was an obvious key, because the Celtics shot only 44.2%, a low number for such a convincing victory. The Clippers were at 48.2% and committed 15 turnovers, both respectable numbers.

Boston again felt Bird’s impact. In his third appearance since missing nearly two months because of back problems, he had 19 points, seven rebounds, six assists and was three for three on three-pointers. That’s the second time he made a run at a triple-double, and he probably would have gotten it if not for playing only 28 minutes, 11 in the second half.

As if more evidence is needed, there is this: The Celtics, 34-26 overall and 12-17 when Bird does not play, had three games of 28 or more assists in his most recent stretch on the sidelines. Since Bird has returned, Boston has had 28, 33 and, against the Clippers, 28.

Clipper Notes

Charles Smith, who had planned to sit out because of informal restrictions against back-to-back games while coming back from knee trouble, felt good enough to play 17 minutes. . . . Danny Manning led the Clippers with 22 points, while Loy Vaught had 15 points and 11 rebounds as a reserve. “Loy was terrific,” Coach Larry Brown said. . . . Danny Young returned to action after missing the previous two games because of a sprained ankle and played 13 minutes. . . . The NBA record for fewest turnovers in a game is three, set by Portland last season against Phoenix.

* EXTRA EFFORT

Chuck Person makes an off-balance shot with 0.4 seconds left in overtime to give Indiana a 115-113 victory at Atlanta. C12