Aguirre Is on the Mark at the Buzzer : Pro basketball: Newest Clipper hits wide-open three-pointer to give Los Angeles a 97-95 victory over Portland.

Clipper General Manager Elgin Baylor sent a letter to season-ticket holders last summer offering a full refund if they were dissatisfied after the Clippers’ season opener against the Portland Trail Blazers Friday night at the Sports Arena.

It’s doubtful anyone will take up the Clippers on their offer after watching forward Mark Aguirre sink a three-point shot as time ran out to give the Clippers a 97-95 victory before 11,246.

With the Clippers trailing, 95-94, after Cliff Robinson made a layup with 7.3 seconds left, Aguirre inbounded the ball from the side following a timeout to Mark Jackson, who drove inside. Jackson then passed back out to a wide-open Aguirre, who lofted a shot from the left of the three-point line.

Aguirre, acquired by the Clippers last week after he was waived by the Detroit Pistons, touched off a wild celebration, pumping his fist and shimmying down the court.

Loy Vaught, who moved into the starting lineup at power forward after Ken Norman signed with the Milwaukee Bucks, had 22 points and 16 rebounds. Forward Danny Manning led the Clippers with 24 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Jackson had 14 points and 14 assists.

Trailing 85-82, the Clippers outscored Portland 10-6 to take a 92-91 lead when Vaught hit a jumper from the side with 58 seconds left.

Harper started the run by hitting a three-point shot and Manning had five points in the spurt, making three free throws and a layup.

After guard Clyde Drexler, who had a game-high 25 points and 13 rebounds, tipped in a shot by Terry Porter that Vaught had blocked with 34.1 seconds left, the Clippers regained the lead with Vaught made a nice running hook shot with 18.9 seconds remaining.

Robinson, who had 17 points, then made a layup off a pass to set the stage for Aguirre, who had entered the game after center Stanley Roberts fouled out with 4:25 left.

The Clippers said they signed Aguirre, who is due $3 million over the next two years from the Piston, to a one-year, $150,000 contract because of his ability to perform in clutch situations. It turned out to be a good investment. Although he took only three shots, he made the game’s most important shot.

Rookie guard Terry Dehere, the Clippers’ No. 1 draft pick, played well scoring eight points and passing off for two assists in 11 minutes off the bench. Dehere sank both shots he attempted and made four of five free throws.

Although the Clippers had lost seven of their last nine games at the Sports Arena against Portland, they looked forward to facing the Trail Blazers, who’ve reached the Western Conference finals three of the last four seasons.

“They’ve been very good for a long time,” Manning said. “They’re very competitive and very deep. I think it’s a good test for us. It’s going to show us where we’re at and what we have to do.”

Vaught agreed.

“I think they’re a good team to open up against because they’re a quality team,” Vaught said. “If we have any weakness they’ll come out and we’ll know what to work on and if we beat them we’ll know how solid we are.”

Vaught, who signed a four-year, $12-million contract extension before training camp opened, scored 13 points and grabbed eight rebounds in the first half as the Clippers, who led by as much as 14 points, took a 49-46 lead into the intermission.

The smoke from the $12,000 pregame laser and fireworks had barely cleared before Vaught jump-started the Clippers, hitting three of five shots and a free throw as the Clippers took a 31-21 lead going into the second quarter.

Jackson ran Coach Bob Weiss’ motion offense to perfection, handing out five assists and scoring eight points as the Clippers blitzed Portland 9-0 in a three-minute first-quarter spurt.

Drexler scored 13 points, making six of 10 shots, including a three-pointer, to keep Portland, which shot only 39.1% and had nine turnovers, from getting blown out of the game in the first quarter.