Rockets Take Steam Out of Clippers, 88-83

Danny Manning, nursing a strained lower back, wore a heat pack whenever out of the game.

So much for anything hot having to do with the Clippers on Tuesday night.

Otherwise, their starting center never got much beyond warm-ups, their starting small forward was chilling his ankle in an ice bucket afterward and they shot 35.8% in an 88-83 loss to a Houston Rocket team that sank only 39.8%.

It was quite a skid mark the Clippers left in the Summit. They came in winners of three in a row and five of six and were averaging 108.7 points a game. Two games earlier, they hit the league’s No. 1 defense, New York, for 101, about seven more than the Knicks’ average.

Tuesday, against the No. 2 defense, Houston, the Clippers fell in line.

The 83 points were their fewest this season by 14.

The four fouls in seven minutes of the first half meant Stanley Roberts would have another abbreviated night.

“That’s the the first time that has ever happened,” Clipper Coach Larry Brown deadpanned.

The Clippers, poor outside shooters, took too many jumpers, meaning almost certain doom.

Actually, the last two factors are related. With Roberts out, Houston’s Hakeem Olajuwon was not tied to post defense, giving him time to roam the lane. That restricted the Clippers, whose offense relies heavily on slashing toward the basket.

The result: Manning was seven for 18, Ken Norman five for 14, Ron Harper seven for 17, Mark Jackson three for 12, Loy Vaught two for six, Jaren Jackson 0 for four and John Williams two for seven.

“I thought we settled for a lot of jump shots early,” Brown said. “When we aren’t shooting many free throws, that’s a good indication for me. We had a lot of shots, but we’re not a good jump-shooting team. I looked at halftime and we had eight assists and Mark had six of them. That’s an ugly stat.”

Said Norman, who did have a game-high 15 rebounds despite a sprained left ankle that forced him out in the second quarter Saturday against Phoenix: “Five of my shots were wide-open jump shots. But I guess we need to be a little more aggressive in terms of attacking the basket.”

Because the Rockets were matching them in offensive mediocrity, the Clippers trailed only 64-62 at the start of the fourth quarter, but they fell behind by nine before using a 10-0 run to take a 74-73 lead with 7:31 remaining. Then Houston scored on the ensuing possession and the Clippers’ next shot was an errant one-handed runner by Harper.

“Good teams don’t take shots like that,” Brown said.

The Clippers stayed close. Norman’s tip-in cut the deficit to 84-80 with 1:22 left. Harper blocked a three-pointer by Sleepy Floyd, got fouled at the other end and made one of the free throws for a three-point game. The Clippers called time out with 15 seconds to go and put in Kiki Vandeweghe, their best outside shooter.

Vandeweghe, under pressure from Matt Bullard, put up a three-pointer from the left side that fell short. The Clippers, having fallen short themselves, were done, left only to watch the Rockets put the finishing touches on a sixth consecutive victory with free throws.

Clipper Notes

Danny Manning, probably feeling the effects of playing some center and a lot of power forward at 230 pounds, has a strained lower back that forced him to lie on his stomach in front of the bench while he was on the sidelines. But, Manning said his condition is improving. “We’ve got to keep him loose,” trainer Keith Jones said. “You never know with a back.” Manning started to feel pain in his back Saturday against Phoenix, though most likely it was the accumulation of battling heavier opponents. Tuesday, when Stanley Roberts again got in foul trouble, Manning spent some time defending Hakeem Olajuwon, just as he has against Patrick Ewing and Oliver Miller in recent games. Manning, already a committed lifter, will work with weights to strengthen his lower back.

Ken Norman said his ankle injury did not bother him when he played. . . . Olajuwon, on facing Roberts: “I felt like I was playing football out there.” . . . Clipper General Manager Elgin Baylor disputes the contention that he hired Mack Calvin as an assistant to Mike Schuler before last season against Schuler’s wishes.