Clippers Come Up Short Again, 106-98 : Pro basketball: They play well in spurts but fall to the SuperSonics for third loss in a row.

Clipper Coach Bob Weiss might have finally found a motivational gimmick that works.

After calling team meetings and benching his starters to try to end a slump, Weiss put the team through a three-day mini-camp at UC Irvine.

After emerging from their second training camp of the season, the Clippers started and and finished strongly in a 106-98 loss to the Seattle SuperSonics on Wednesday night before a crowd of 11,838 at the Sports Arena.

If the Clippers, who were outscored, 63-45, in the second and third quarters, can work out the middle of the game, they may get back on track.

Of course, it might not be fair to judge the Clippers (11-17) against the SuperSonics, who at 24-3 have the best record in the NBA.

“We got off to a great start, and I think we played good basketball,” said Clipper guard Mark Jackson, who had 17 points and six assists. “I think we made a step forward tonight and we have to feel good about it.

“We played against an excellent team. Sure, we’re supposed to beat them at home, but we’re a team that has been struggling and we feel real good. We played against the best team in the league and this was a winnable game. I think our effort tonight for 48 minutes was solid.”

Weiss says he won’t be able to determine if the mini-camp had a positive effect on the Clippers until after their upcoming six-game, nine-day East Coast trip.

But they still have a few things to improve on.

The Clippers, who are averaging a league-high 18.9 turnovers, had 25 on Wednesday, which the SuperSonics converted into 20 points.

Trailing by 18 points with six minutes to play in the fourth quarter, the Clippers went on a 15-4 run to cut the deficit to 102-95. Forward Danny Manning, who had 18 points and a season-high 15 rebounds, scored 13 fourth-quarter points. Manning had a chance to trim the deficit to five points, but he missed two free throws with 1:12 to play.

“If we won the game, everyone would think that the camp was a great idea, but when we lose, everyone starts to ask questions,” Manning said.

Manning missed 12 of 20 shots but he made six of his final eight to lead the Clipper comeback.

“I should have been more aggressive offensively tonight,” Manning said.

Shawn Kemp had 22 points and a season-high 15 rebounds for Seattle and Ricky Pierce had 18 points in 21 minutes off the bench.

The Clippers started fast, taking a 20-10 first-quarter lead as center Elmore Spencer and guard Ron Harper scored eight points apiece. Spencer made all four shots he took in the first quarter and Harper made four of five.

But the Clippers, who ended December by losing six of their last eight games, quickly reverted to their losing ways. They have now lost three in a row and seven of nine.

The SuperSonics outscored the Clippers, 23-8, in a seven minute span of the first and second quarters to take a 33-28 lead four minutes into the second quarter.

Clipper Notes

Clipper forward Danny Manning missed a practice Monday morning to play a small role in an HBO movie. Manning, whose agent, Ron Grinker, arranged the part long before the Clippers scheduled the mini-camp at UC Irvine, missed the morning session but caught a helicopter to John Wayne Airport and made Monday night’s practice. . . . Seattle guard Nate McMillan was ejected from the game after he drew a double technical foul for arguing with referee Luis Grillo after fouling Clipper rookie guard Terry Dehere in the third quarter. . . . Clipper forward Mark Aguirre sat out the second half because of stomach flu. . . . Clipper center Elmore Spencer blocked a career-high eight shots. It was the most blocked shots by a Clipper since Charles Smith had seven blocks on April 11, 1992. Spencer, who was playing before Jerry Tarkanian, his old college coach, had 15 points.