Clippers Use Cruise Control to Roll, 122-88 : Pro basketball: They rout the Nuggets, shooting 61.5%. Their magic number to clinch a playoff berth is two.

In the midst of a full-out sprint for the playoffs, the Clippers found time Saturday night for a leisurely jog.

They shot 67.5% during the first half to flatten the Denver Nuggets early and went on for a 122-88 victory at the soldout Sports Arena, dropping the magic number to clinch a playoff spot to two and setting a Clipper record with 44 victories in a season.

Coming off hard-fought victories against Portland, Minnesota and Milwaukee, this was a welcome respite. The Clippers (44-34) won their fourth in a row and 10th in 12 games, even though no starter played more in the second half than 16 minutes (Gary Grant) and none longer in the fourth quarter than seven (Charles Smith). They still shot 61.5%, breaking 50% for the fifth time in eight games.

“Some guys have been playing 40-minute games, and we’ve had a lot of games the past weeks,” said Ken Norman, who had 20 points and 12 rebounds in 26 minutes. “It was important for us to go out and get a nice lead so we could get some of the guys major rest.”

Every Clipper played at least six minutes. Smith went a team-high 30, and made the most of it: he had a game-high 29 points, made all 10 of his shots, nine of 10 free throws, had seven rebounds and a season-high seven blocked shots.

“Almost perfect,” he said, smiling, alluding to the missed free throw.

“I felt good,” Smith said. “The last 10 games or so I really felt I’ve been playing well and getting back to my old self. Regardless of the time and my minutes, I feel I’m getting a lot of production.”

The Clippers got production from everyone in improving to 28-11 at home. They had 38 assists, led by Grant’s 13, and Danny Manning, on a rare off-night offensively with 10 points, had four steals.

Marcus Liberty had 19 points and eight rebounds to lead Denver, while Reggie Williams added 18 points.

These were teams heading in opposite directions, but it remained a game of importance for both.

The Nuggets had lost six in a row since Dikembe Mutombo was sidelined because of a thumb injury and nine in a row overall, one shy of the franchise mark set last season.

The Clippers were attempting to break the team record for victories in a season (43) set in 1978-79, their first season in San Diego. The franchise record of 49, by the 1974-75 Buffalo Braves, is out of reach, but the second-best ever, 46 in 1975-76, continued as a possibility as they headed into a stretch of Denver, Sacramento and Minnesota.

The contrasts were there before the game, too. The Nuggets scratched starting guard Winston Garland because of a hyper-extended right elbow. The Clippers, meanwhile, knew the Lakers had lost, then news of Houston’s defeat arrived during the second quarter, reducing the magic number to eliminate either to three.

The Clippers took an 11-0 lead and pushed it to 33-16 late in the first quarter with Charles Smith, sound again after playing 30 minutes Thursday despite flu, accounting for 12 of the points.

The Clippers made 15 of 19 shots during the second quarter (78.9%) and moved ahead by 55-35 with five minutes to play when Ken Norman finished a three-on-one break with a dunk. They led by 63-38 after Smith’s dunk with 1:41 remaining and by 67-40 on Doc Rivers’ layup.

The Clippers outscored Denver, 32-19, in the second quarter, and the 67 points by intermission was a season high. The Clippers’ best half was 73 against Portland March 21.

Norman already had 15 points and 11 rebounds. Smith had 16 points and made all seven of his shots after having gone 17 of 31 (54.8%) from the field in the previous three games.

A play during the third quarter summed up the game. The Clippers had a 77-52 lead when Ron Harper picked up a loose ball slightly beyond half court and whipped a pass to Norman wide open under the basket. Norman handed the ball to Grant, and the two Clippers were still alone.

Grant flipped it back to Norman, allowing a Nugget defender, Greg Anderson, to catch up. Anderson tried for the block as Norman finally took the shot, but was called for a foul as Norman made the basket and subsequent free throw. It was that kind of night.