Clippers Rally, Then Fall Short to Cavaliers

The Clippers knew what was coming. Thirteen games against nine opponents with a combined .647 winning percentage at the start of play Friday. Games against the first- and second-place teams in three divisions.

But no one said anything about falling behind by 16 points during the third quarter and 15 during the fourth, then pulling within two only to fall short, 100-92, as Mark Price doused the comeback before 12,976 at the Sports Arena.

First, with 3:08 to go, Price swished a straight-away three-pointer, good for a 95-90 Cavalier lead. Then, after Danny Manning’s second-half roll continued with a leaner at the free-throw line to make the deficit three again, Price finished the Clippers with a nine-foot runner. It came with 43 seconds left and gave Cleveland a 97-92 lead.

It took the emotional edge away from the Clippers.

“You’re hoping that’s what it will do,” said Price, whose 19 points complemented the 28 points and 15 rebounds by Brad Daugherty. “The three(-pointer) broke their backs a little.”

The Clippers had rallied behind Manning, who made 11 of 14 shots during the second half, and had control of the tempo and the momentum with a 17-4 run. Then, quickly, they didn’t.

“I go into every game thinking we can win,” said Manning, who finished with a game-high 29 points. “But even when we got down, I still thought we were in it because they were hitting a lot of outside shots and I thought they would cool off. But they didn’t cool off enough for us to get over the hump.”

The Clippers planned a lineup change--Gary Grant and John Williams starting ahead of Ron Harper and Ken Norman for the second game in a row--but ended up with more than that. Stanley Roberts overslept and missed the morning shoot-around, earning him a spot on the bench for tipoff and giving rookie Elmore Spencer his second start.

“I don’t think it really matters who we start,” Coach Larry Brown said. “It matters how we play.”

Roberts entered the game after Spencer drew his third foul 6:18 into the game. But Roberts followed Spencer’s quick exit by drawing three fouls within 4:34 and left the game before the first quarter was done. It quickly became post defense by committee for the Clippers, who threw Williams, Norman and Manning at Daugherty without success.

Daugherty made seven of 10 shots during the first half for 16 points along with seven rebounds, giving the Cavaliers a 59-48 lead at intermission. He wasn’t alone in doing damage, though. The Clippers were within 49-45 before Cleveland went on a 10-3 run, with Larry Nance scoring six points.

Spencer started the second half, too, but didn’t even last as long as the first go-round. He came out in favor of Roberts after 2:42, although without having committed another foul, and the Cavaliers ahead, 64-50. Cleveland, which shot 56.8% during the first half, was at 54.5% after the third quarter and ahead, 82-71.

Clipper Notes

Although the deadline is not until June 15, the Clippers have all but decided they will not pick up the $4-million option on Ron Harper for next season. No one from management will comment, but facing the possibility of Harper becoming an unrestricted free agent after this season is a risk they seem willing to take when the alternative is making him one of the league’s highest-paid players. Their hope is that Harper will agree to begin negotiations on a long-term contract that will earn him more money, but over more years. The Clippers’ second-leading scorer said last month he won’t talk about a new contract until management exercises its option. Another possibility is letting Harper become a free agent and then try to re-sign him, confident that no other team will make that lucrative of an offer.

The Clippers were off Tuesday and Wednesday before practicing hard Thursday, an unprecedented break for any team coached by Larry Brown. “Mentally, this team needed to get away from basketball for a few days,” he said, referring to the off-court distractions that have lingered for nearly two weeks. . . . Mike Sanders sat out his second consecutive game for Cleveland because of a bruised left knee, keeping Craig Ehlo in the starting lineup at small forward.