NBA PLAYOFFS / UPDATE : CLIPPERS : Brown Might Keep Manning on Olajuwon

Coach Larry Brown is waiting to see how Loy Vaught returns from a strained lower back before deciding, but indications are the Clippers will again use forward Danny Manning to defend center Hakeem Olajuwon of the Houston Rockets today, a move designed to provide added quickness on the perimeter and keep Stanley Roberts out of foul trouble.

The strategy worked well Wednesday in Game 4, when Olajuwon scored 25 points (on 10-of-23 shooting) and had 18 rebounds, but Roberts lasted 35 minutes and had 20 points and 13 rebounds. That was critical to the Clippers’ 93-90 victory, as was the work of Ken Norman outside after having his defensive assignment switched from Otis Thorpe to Robert Horry.

“A lot depends on Loy, his availability,” Brown said. “Naturally, we’d like a little depth. But we might (stay with the Game 4 alignment). I don’t know why we should change a heck of a lot of what we did. I thought he (Manning) did a good job.”

Said Manning: “He still got his points. I don’t know, I guess I did OK. I’ve seen people do much worse (against Olajuwon), so, OK, guess I did OK. I’m not a great defensive player, but I think I made him work hard.

“Hakeem is a great player. Guarding Hakeem is in a way like guarding Michael (Jordan). They can’t do anything to you they haven’t already done to somebody else. I’m not talking just this series, I’m talking his career. He’s given big numbers to many, many great defensive centers.”

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Only one of the seven Clippers averaging more than 20 minutes the first four games is shooting better than 50%--Roberts at 56.1%. . . . The Rockets are outshooting the Clippers, 48.9%-43.4%, led by Thorpe (68.6%) and Olajuwon (51.2%). . . . Maybe it’s not only Los Angeles, after all: As of late Friday afternoon, about 2,700 tickets remained unsold for Game 5 before the Rockets, a local cable television station and an area grocery-store chain bought them for free distribution to community groups.