Clippers Lose a Bit of an Edge : Pro basketball: SuperSonics win, 104-96, to take season series, giving them tiebreaker advantage in race for playoff spots.

The motivation was largely what might happen, a tiebreaker in the season series that will be stored away in case it’s needed when the playoff berths are determined in April.

What did happen, though, was what mattered Wednesday night, when the Seattle SuperSonics beat the Clippers, 104-96, at the Sports Arena to create a little more breathing room over at least one Western Conference rival in the race for the final two playoff spots.

If the teams are tied come April 19, the SuperSonics will hold the better card by virtue of winning the season series, three games to two.

“I don’t think you have to motivate players with a race at this point of the season,” Clipper Doc Rivers said. “We know what’s on the line. It was 2-2. If we won, we won the season series. Now, we have to beat them outright, which makes it a little tougher for us.”

So it came down to Wednesday, and it came down to the fourth quarter.

Looking to tie the Los Angeles Clipper record of 23 home victories, set last season, they trailed only 82-78 with 8:56 left. From there, the SuperSonics went on a 9-2 run, including a three-point jumper by Nate McMillan with the shot clock down to three, and forced the Clippers, suddenly down by 11, to call a timeout.

It didn’t help. The closest the Clippers got until the final 44 seconds was 93-85 with 3:32 to go. The SuperSonics followed that with a three-pointer by Derrick McKey, this time with the shot clock at two. And when McMillan intercepted Doc Rivers’ bad pass and threw a long lead pass that became a Ricky Pierce layup, the lead was 98-85.

The Clippers closed within seven points, 100-93, on Loy Vaught’s three-pointer with 44 seconds remaining. But McMillan answered with another three-pointer, and the Clippers were done. For a night, anyway.

“This game represented a lot,” Seattle’s Michael Cage said. “These guys (the Clippers) have been playing hard and are on our tails. This is like a two-game swing.”

The game had significance beyond playoff implications.

For the Clippers, it was the opportunity to extend a two-game win streak, with Dallas and Sacramento coming in Friday and Sunday, respectively. The SuperSonics were looking to stop their downward spiral after losing two in a row and scoring only 92 and 97 points in the process.

Seattle suffered another setback 2:32 into the second quarter, when McMillan landed on his right hand after being fouled by Rivers while going down the lane. McMillan, who plays with his right wrist taped from an injury earlier in the season, was in apparent pain and missed both free throws.

He came out soon after and did not return until the start of the fourth quarter. The preliminary report labeled it a sprain.

Seattle led, 46-43, at halftime. Danny Manning topped all scorers at the half with 15 points on seven-of-nine shooting, including the Clippers’ final nine points of the half.

The Clippers opened the third quarter by briefly tying the score, 46-46, then fell into their biggest hole yet, at 59-51. But that was a pretty sight for them compared to what happened next.

Ron Harper, converting a fast-break alley-oop pass from Manning into a slam dunk, hit the ground hard on the landing, mostly on his right shoulder and side of his head. It was an ugly spill that resulted in the crowd quickly going from cheers to silence and Shawn Kemp earning a flagrant foul, but Kemp didn’t do the damage. That came when Harper’s momentum, after hanging on the rim, carried him nearly horizontal.

He stayed on the ground for a few moments while being checked over by the medical staff, made the free throw and exited with 5:48 left in the quarter, looking groggy. It was determined that he had the wind knocked out of him.

Harper, who took a hard blow to the right side of the head courtesy of Patrick Ewing last Thursday at New York, returned with 2:57 remaining in the period. It was in time to see the Clippers take the lead.

That came when Charles Smith made two free throws with 1:06 to go. The SuperSonics went back ahead, then the Clippers got the lead back at 74-73. But when Smith was called for a loose-ball foul just after Harper launched a three-pointer with one second left, Seattle tied the score when Cage made one of the free throws.