Clippers End Spectrum Hex : Pro basketball: They beat the 76ers, 125-110, and end franchise’s 22-game slump in Philadelphia dating to 1975.

Eleven coaches--counting Gene Shue twice--three cities, two states, 17 years, countless players. The numbers testify to the futility.

The Buffalo Braves won at the Spectrum on Oct. 31, 1975, lost their next seven visits, and then handed the streak to the San Diego Clippers, who handed it to the Los Angeles Clippers.

By Friday, the streak had reached 22 losses here to the 76ers.

But Friday night, the Clippers beat the 76ers, 125-110, to close their Eastern Conference trip 2-1.

The historical significance was minimal at best to the current Clippers, more concerned with a victory after seeing their four-game winning streak end the night before up the turnpike in New Jersey. The significance of the game in today’s NBA, and tomorrow’s standings, is what they care about.

“I’m really happy,” Coach Larry Brown said. “We’re a layup away (against the Nets) from a chance at 3-0. If someone told me the day we left that we would go 2-1, I think I would have been reasonably pleased.”

Said Danny Manning, who had 29 points, seven rebounds, six assists, four blocks and three steals: “We can’t complain going 2-1. But we could have been 3-0. Happily, we’re not satisfied. I thought it was a good sign because some of the guys said, ‘We had a decent road trip, but it could have been better.’ ”

The same goes for the final game. The Clippers, jumping on the team with the second-fewest victories in the league, shot 62.5% (15 of 24) during the second quarter to take a 14-point lead at halftime. They pushed it to 22 midway through the third quarter and were still ahead by 14 heading into the last 12 minutes.

After the 76ers pulled within 108-101 with 4:45 to play, the Clippers pulled away.

“I was worried,” Brown said. “They (the 76ers) are never out of a game as well as they shoot the ball. We got real careless. We had a 24-point lead and shot jumpers on the first pass. That’s not how we got the lead.”

The Clippers shot 51.9% as Mark Jackson got 26 points and 10 assists, Ron Harper 18 points and 12 rebounds and Ken Norman 20 points and 13 rebounds.

“One of the all-time, all-time worst defensive efforts I’ve ever seen,” 76er Coach Doug Moe said.

“ ‘Don’t let ‘em inside. Don’t let ‘em inside.’ I only said it 9,000 times.”

Clipper Notes

Randy Woods returned home and, in keeping with a Larry Brown tradition, started, despite having played only 24 minutes all season. Woods, who left about 100 tickets for family and friends, came out after seven minutes and didn’t return until the final 1:07 of the fourth quarter. Woods made two free throws and had three assists and two steals. . . . Kiki Vandeweghe was available after sitting out the last four games because of a sprained ankle, but Brown decided to use him only in case of emergency. There was none.

Executive vice president Harley Frankel, a former deputy director of the White House personnel office in the Carter Administration, will help the transition team for President-elect Bill Clinton select sub-cabinet positions. Frankel, also once the Colorado budget director, will begin his duties immediately and return to the Clippers in about five weeks.

The Clippers flew from New Jersey to Philadelphia on Thursday night, but bad weather turned what should have been a 15-minute hop into nearly an hour. Amid bad turbulence and even worse weather, Brown took advantage of the time in the air to review film of the loss to the Nets. “It didn’t help the flight any,” center Stanley Roberts said.