Clippers Lose Both Game and Roberts : * SATURDAY’S GAME

First the Clippers lost center Stanley Roberts for the season because of a ruptured Achilles’ tendon, then they lost their second consecutive game, 109-102, to the Lakers. Laker forward Doug Christie scored a career-high 33 Saturday night before a sellout crowd of 16,005 at the Sports Arena.

Roberts was injured with 7:54 remaining in the third quarter when he landed awkwardly while going after a rebound underneath his basket.

Roberts, who was wheeled off the court and taken to Daniel Freeman Medical Center in Marina del Rey, is expected to undergo surgery Monday morning and will be sidelined for the rest of the season.

Clipper Coach Bob Weiss, who lost Dominique Wilkins for the 1991-92 season because of a ruptured Achilles’ tendon when he was coaching the Atlanta Hawks, took the news of Roberts’ injury philosophically.

“I’ve heard it before,” Weiss said. “Dominique had one and he was out for nine months and came back as good as new. It’s a blow to us for this season, but that’s the way it goes.”

Clipper forward Danny Manning, who suffered a season-ending knee injury as a rookie, says Roberts faces a difficult rehabilitation.

“The Achilles’ ain’t no joke. It’s just like the knee,” Manning said. “If he wants to come back, he has to commit himself. That means losing weight and coming back in shape.”

Weiss said the Clippers, who have centers Elmore Spencer and Bob Martin on their roster, may not sign another center. They will probably activate guard Randy Woods, put on the injured list last weekend because of a hamstring injury, to fill Roberts’ spot on the roster.

Christie, who scored a career-high 23 points in the Lakers’ 116-114 double-overtime victory over the Clippers last month, established a new high as the Lakers (7-9) won their fourth game in a row.

“I wish I could play like that every night,” Christie said. “Sedale (Threatt) kept telling me to shoot the ball and take my time, and I did.”

When good shooters go on a roll, they talk about being in a zone. Was Christie in a zone against the Clippers?

“I don’t know,” Christie said. “That was my first time.”

Christie, who made nine of 11 shots, sank five three-pointers to tie a team record held by Magic Johnson, Byron Scott and Michael Cooper.

Guard Anthony Peeler had a career-high 28 points as the Lakers won their third consecutive road game.

Manning had a team-high 26 points, Loy Vaught had 21 points and 16 rebounds and Ron Harper had 20 points and 11 rebounds for the Clippers (6-8), who lost for the third time in the last four games.

The Clippers used an 8-1 run to cut a 102-92 deficit to 103-100 when Manning made two free throws with 2:30 remaining. But Christie made a free throw after the Clippers drew a technical foul for their second illegal defense of the game and Elden Campbell dunked on Spencer to give the Lakers a six-point lead.

“We ran into a buzz saw tonight,” Weiss said. “We’ve had a habit of running into teams that are just blitzing us from the outside. I thought we played hard, but when they hit from that deep that consistently, it’s tough.”

Christie had 19 points in the first half, including 16 in the first quarter. He made his first five shots and was seven for nine, including four three-pointers, in the first half.

Christie made an uncontested three-pointer with 5.5 seconds remaining in the half to bring the Lakers to within one, but Loy Vaught scored on a dunk to give the Clippers a 59-56 halftime lead.

The Lakers outscored the Clippers, 15-7, in the first five minutes of the final quarter to take a 95-86 lead.

Notes

There’s a good possibility that the Clippers will open next season in Japan. Although nothing has been finalized and no announcement is expected until sometime around the All-Star break, the Clippers and Portland Trail Blazers are the leading candidates to play two regular-season games. Yokohama seems to have the inside track, but Tokyo or Fukuoka are also possibilities, according to an NBA official. . . . Charles Grantham, executive director of the NBA Players Assn., said the grievance filed on behalf of John Williams against the Clippers will be heard by arbitrator Dan Collins on Wednesday.