Clippers Get Well When Harper Does : Pro basketball: He recovers more quickly than expected from knee injury and scores 29 points to lead 95-83 victory over Rockets. Series tied, 1-1.

Guess who showed up ready to play Saturday night.

Ron Harper and the Clippers.

The Clippers’ condition was dramatically upgraded when Harper’s was. Considered unlikely to play after suffering a sprained knee ligament two days earlier, he started and played 39 minutes, and the Clippers beat the Houston Rockets, 95-83, in Game 2 of the playoffs to earn a split at the Summit.

Harper’s recovery is either a medical miracle or the stuff of heroics. He went from doubtful late Thursday night to iffy on Friday to 29 points, six rebounds, four blocked shots and three steals Saturday.

“That was an amazing performance,” Clipper Coach Larry Brown said. “Truthfully, I didn’t think he was going to play. Dr. (Tony) Daly said he was OK and that he had no pain and no swelling, but I still didn’t think he would play. He was phenomenal.”

The rest of the Clippers weren’t bad, either, going from a 23-point loss in Game 1 to an inspired victory in a building in which they had lost 15 in a row.

They held the Rockets to 17 points in the fourth quarter in the process.

The Clippers blew the game open by using a 25-6 run, scoring on 13 of 16 possessions for a 64-47 lead with 5:42 to play in the third quarter. At the same time, Houston went 4:21 without a point and from 3:54 of the second quarter to 9:12 of the third without a field goal.

“We probably had the six or seven best minutes of defense this team has ever played,” Brown said.

When Houston’s Hakeem Olajuwon scored 15 points during the first half, the Clippers clamped down. He got 15 more the second half, but 11 of those came on free throws. He took only seven shots in those final 24 minutes.

“We just came out and played aggressively,” said Olajuwon’s Clipper counterpart, Stanley Roberts, who had 16 points and six rebounds before fouling out with 3:55 to play. “We played hard. We trapped. We did all the things we should have done the last game.”

Added John Williams, who took his turn defending Olajuwon, again with help from the Clipper guards: “We were more aggressive the whole game. We didn’t play hard the first game. We only played hard in spurts and let them dictate things and have their way. Tonight was totally different.”

Nowhere was that more evident than this: After shooting 62.7% in Game 1, the Rockets dropped to 31.5% on Saturday. Even more impressively, their 23 baskets were the second-fewest in NBA playoff history.

Harper got treatments of ice, electrical stimulation, stretching and pool mini-aerobics three times Friday and three more times Saturday to try to ready him for the game. After that, whether to play was his call.

Brown said he wanted to be extra cautious with the same knee Harper had surgically repaired 3 1/2 years ago. But trainer Keith Jones and Daly, the team physician, said there is little risk, if any, in returning before the joint is 100%.

The big challenge for Harper came on defense because more lateral movement was required. The Clippers’ second-leading scorer would still need his mobility on offense, especially as a player who likes to slash down the lane, but the sudden, unexpected change of direction needed while guarding someone could be more difficult.

Harper seemed active on defense from the start, especially under the circumstances. He had only one steal in the first quarter but got a hand on several other Rocket passes. He had sudden bursts of speed, too, blowing past Winston Garland for a layup 5 1/2 minutes into the game and then punctuating the opening quarter by going past Carl Herrera with embarrassing ease for a slam dunk. So much for concerns about maneuverability.

“It’s sore,” Harper said of the knee. “It gave me some problems. But I just tried to play through the pain.”

So he did.

“It paid off,” said Harper, who made only two of his first six shots but finished 10 for 19. “The thing is, we came in here with pride and we are leaving with pride.”

And a 1-1 series.

Clipper Notes

The Clippers have apparently found a potential partner in their search for a new arena: the Kings. Several Clipper officials say they have met and talked with owner Bruce McNall about moving into a state-of-the-art building sometime this decade, though McNall denies any contact. It is no secret, however, that McNall believes he is financially restricted by staying at the Forum. “They’re looking at buildings and we’re looking at buildings, and it only makes sense to do it together,” said Andy Roeser, the Clippers’ executive vice president for business operations. Three sites remain possibilities for the Clippers: Burbank, near the Convention Center and a completely renovated Sports Arena. . . . Game 3 is Monday night at the Sports Arena.