Even Shorthanded, Clippers Come Back : Pro basketball: They rally to defeat Lakers at the Forum, 100-89, despite Divac’s first triple-double.

Life without Danny Manning and Ron Harper, a very real full-time possibility for the Clippers in a few months, got an early test run Tuesday night, just as they were doing something about the past.

In danger of being swept at the Forum and of losing their fourth in a row against the Lakers this season, the Clippers turned it around. They went from an eight-point lead in the second quarter to a nine-point deficit in the third to shooting 61.9% in the fourth for a 100-89 victory without their two leading scorers.

The official count of 11,954 spectators didn’t include Manning and Harper, but that was their role in the first game back from the All-Star break for both teams. They were in uniform and they were on the bench, but they stayed there as punishment for missing Monday’s practice.

Mark Jackson took control in their absence, scoring 15 of his 21 points in the second half and also finishing with 12 assists. John Williams also had 21 points, sparking a strong showing by the Clipper bench to offset the 16 rebounds, 14 points and 12 assists from Vlade Divac, his first career triple-double and the first by a Laker since Sam Perkins on Jan. 24, 1993.

“I would go into supermarkets or wherever and people would say, ‘When are you going to beat the Lakers?’ ” Jackson said. “We were all sick of that. We felt like we had to put a stop to it.”

It wasn’t hard to imagine how the Lakers felt. Not only was it a bad showing against a team they had beat at full strength, it was the second bad showing in a row dating back to last Thursday against Sacramento after a string of victories against the likes of Utah and Phoenix.

“What did Nancy Kerrigan say after getting hit on the knee?” Coach Randy Pfund said. “Why? Why? That was a horrible effort, and I told the guys so after the game.”

The benching of Manning and Harper--worth a combined 43 points--meant no available Clipper came in averaging more than Loy Vaught’s 12.8 points and made for a makeshift lineup. What it did not mean was overconfidence from the Lakers, or at least their coach, despite coming in with a 3-0 series lead with Harper having played all three games and Manning two.

“It could be a more dangerous game,” Pfund said beforehand. “Teams are always dangerous if they’re missing a guy or two. Teams up their effort and guys see an opportunity to take advantage of their chance. Ask Utah about Reggie Jordan.”

The chance Tuesday belonged to rookie Terry Dehere, who replaced Harper at shooting guard for his first pro start, and Tom Tolbert, in the opening lineup at Manning’s small forward. Vaught also started at power forward for the first time since Jan. 18, sending Williams to a reserve role.

The Clippers’ big rally came in the third quarter--a 13-1 run over the final 3:21 to turn a 69-60 deficit into a 73-70 advantage at quarter’s end. Jackson made a pair of three-pointers in that stretch, then opened the fourth quarter with a basket. When he drove the lane for a layup with 9:07 remaining, the lead was up to 81-74.