Trail Blazers Surge Late to Beat Clippers : Pro basketball: Portland ends losing streak, gets a break from off-court troubles with a 111-104 victory.

Surrounded by scandal and fighting a rare four-game losing streak, the Portland Trail Blazers came back from an eight-point deficit during the fourth quarter and beat the Clippers, 111-104, before 14,031 at the Sports Arena on Friday night.

“We definitely needed a win tonight to get the monkey off our backs,” Trail Blazer Coach Rick Adelman said. “It was just a game we had to win.”

They did, by getting 43 fourth-quarter points and outscoring the Clippers, 23-8, in the final 4:19--going 14 of 14 from the free- throw line in the process. Portland finished 22 of 27 on free throws, compared to 14 of 30 for the Clippers, who scored on only four of their final 13 possessions.

“When you go to the line and miss, you give a team life,” Coach Larry Brown said after the Clippers wasted 35 points and 10 rebounds by Danny Manning and 26 points, 15 assists, nine rebounds and four steals by Mark Jackson.

“It’s kind of a demoralizing thing because you can’t get a better percentage shot.”

Clyde Drexler had 32 points and nine rebounds for Portland.

The game was a welcome diversion for the Trail Blazers, who came in amid controversy and their longest losing streak in three seasons.

Thursday, rookies Tracy Murray and Dave Johnson were suspended for three games and Jerome Kersey and Reggie Smith were fined undisclosed amounts by the team for their roles in alleged sexual misconduct with three teen-agers in Salt Lake City.

Friday, the Trail Blazers tried to get back to basketball.

“There’s no doubt it has been a distraction with everything flying around, especially if it’s something you can’t control until something official comes out of Utah,” Coach Rick Adelman said before the game.

“I thought we were going in the right direction because we had really good practices a couple of days in a row, and then the suspensions make another downer. It’s like, ‘Here we go again.’ It can’t be an excuse (in their play), but it’s definitely a factor.

“The guys are not robots. Like anybody at their workplace, if something is bothering you, you’re not going to perform (your) best.”

The Trail Blazers had an encouraging start in the opener to the home-and-home set that concludes Sunday at Portland, using a 12-1 run to take a 25-14 lead. It was 27-16 at the end of the first quarter, the Clippers’ lowest-scoring period of the season.

Behind by as many as 10 during the second quarter, the Clippers rallied within 40-35 with 2:27 left, then finished the first half with a 11-5 surge for a 46-45 lead. Jackson keyed the comeback, getting 10 points, six assists, four rebounds and two steals during the period.

Clipper Notes

Trail Blazer guard Terry Porter joined the Western Conference all-star team Friday for the second time in three years, replacing injured Mitch Richmond of Sacramento.

“I’m disappointed for Mitch, but obviously I’m happy for myself,” he said. Porter, who joins backcourt mate Clyde Drexler for the Feb. 21 game at Salt Lake City, was fifth among West guards in the voting.

Alex Stivrins, signed by the Clippers to a 10-day contract Thursday, is playing for his fifth team in 11 months, spanning three leagues and two continents. The 6-foot-8, 215-pound Colorado product ended last season in Ferrara, Italy, opened 1992-93 with Phoenix, was cut by the Suns, re-signed, and cut again. Atlanta picked him up for two 10-day contracts, then waived him, making Omaha of the Continental Basketball Assn. his address when the Clippers called.

“I’ve been active,” Stivrins said before the game. “But I’m still playing and feel like I have got a few years left. This can only help me regain the skills that deterioriated from playing six years in Europe.”

Bill Walton, recently elected to the Hall of Fame, was honored before the game with the presentation of a framed picture from his days as a Clipper. Now a broadcaster with the team, Walton will be the first player in franchise history to be enshrined.