Clippers Lose Their Touch and the Game : Pro basketball: After shooting 61% and leading by 10 points in the first quarter, they fall apart and are beaten by the Warriors, 109-90.

Clipper guard Ron Harper shook his head as he stared at the statistics sheet from the Clippers’ 109-90 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night at the Oakland Coliseum Arena.

Harper crumpled the sheet and tossed it to the floor in disgust.

He had good reason to feel that way after the Warriors, who led by as many as 24 points in winning their third consecutive game, handed the Clippers their second-worst loss of the season.

“It’s the holiday season, so I guess we gave one away tonight,” Harper said after the Clippers compiled their second-lowest point total of the season.

After shooting 61% and taking a 10-point lead in the first quarter, the Clippers shot 35% for the last three quarters, hitting 23 of 66 shots.

The Clippers had won 12 of their last 16 games and six of seven coming into Tuesday, but they were embarrassed by Golden State, which overcame an 11-point second-quarter deficit by shooting 56% the rest of the way.

“The Warriors played great,” Clipper Coach Larry Brown said. “I wasn’t concerned about the offense. I saw them make a lot of layups. That’s what hurt more than anything.

“We had a lot of good shots, but at the defensive end I think they did whatever they wanted.”

The Clippers get a chance to redeem themselves when they play the Warriors tonight at the Sports Arena.

“It was a bad night,” Clipper guard Mark Jackson said. “They played very well, and we played horrible. Good thing there’s tomorrow night.”

Warrior guard Tim Hardaway, who had 27 points and 11 assists, got a standing ovation from the sellout crowd of 15,025 after he recorded his 2,500th assist to reach the milestone of 5,000 points and 2,500 assists.

Hardaway, 26 and the youngest player in the NBA All-Star game the last two seasons, needed only 262 games to accomplish it. Only Hall of Fame guard Oscar Robertson needed fewer games to accomplish the feat, doing it in 247. A fourth-year pro, Hardaway has 5,407 points (20.6 average) and 2,502 assists (9.5).

“He’s had a hell of a career since he’s come into the league, and he’s playing for a great coach (Don Nelson) who thrives on guys like him,” Brown said.

Warrior guard Chris Mullin had 27 points and seven assists, guard Latrell Sprewell added 19 points and grabbed seven rebounds and forward Tyrone Hill had nine points and 14 rebounds as the Warriors outrebounded the Clippers, 51-44.

Trailing, 65-63, Golden State blitzed the Clippers, 22-6, in the final six minutes of the third quarter to take a 14-point lead.

The Warriors led by as many as 24 points when the Clippers scored only two points in the first 5 1/2 minutes of the final quarter.

“It was a long last 16 minutes,” Brown said.

The Clippers didn’t score a field goal for 4:53 in the fourth quarter, missing seven shots.

Trailing by 11 points with 8:05 remaining in the second quarter, the Warriors ended the first half with a 28-12 run to take a 55-50 lead.

Hardaway, who had 23 points and six assists in the first half, keyed the blitz with 15 second-quarter points, making six of nine shots--including a three-pointer--as the Warriors outscored the Clippers, 32-17, in the second quarter.

Hardaway, who missed eight of his first 11 shots, hit a three-point shot to jump start the Warrior run. He had 14 points and two assists in the spurt.

“Timmy was playing great all night,” Nelson said. “He found the seams and really got us going. He’s starting to finish his layins more now like he used to, and that’s nice to see.”

Clipper Note

Warrior guard Keith (Mister) Jennings will be sidelined for the season after undergoing reconstructive knee surgery on Tuesday. Jennings tore his right anterior cruciate ligament last month in a game against the Orlando Magic.