Forget Doghouse: Harper Wants Out of Jail : Pro basketball: He rips team before loss to Jazz. Stockton gets 9,000th assist.

Ron Harper can’t wait to be paroled from the Clippers.

A free agent at the end of the season, Harper is counting the days until his release.

“I’m just doing my jail time,” Harper said. “In about 65 or 70 more days my time is up and I’ll be out on GB, good behavior.”

But how can someone who earns $4 million a year compare it to being incarcerated?

“It’s still jail time,” Harper said. “Jail time is jail time no matter how much you’re getting, right? It’s still jail time.”

Harper and Danny Manning, the Clippers’ leading scorers, returned to the lineup for Wednesday’s 103-99 loss to the Utah Jazz before 9,733 at the Sports Arena after being benched for Tuesday night’s 100-89 victory over the Lakers because they missed Monday’s practice.

Manning scored 16 points before fouling out, but Harper struggled, missing six of seven shots and scoring only four points as the Clippers squandered a 15-point third-quarter lead.

John Stockton had 15 points and 12 assists, giving him 9,009 assists for his career. Only Magic Johnson (9,921) and Oscar Robertson (9,887) are ahead of him.

Jeff Malone scored a season-high 27 points, 15 in the third quarter, and Karl Malone had 23 points and 15 rebounds to lead the Jazz (32-18).

Utah, which trailed 94-89, outscored the Clippers 14-5 in the final 3:13. The Clippers, who shot only 38% in the final quarter, scored only one basket in the final 3:13.

With the Jazz trailing, 99-98, after Tom Tolbert, who had a season-high 17 points made a three-pointer with 20.9 seconds remaining, Stockton sank a three-pointer with 5.2 seconds remaining to give the Jazz a 101-99 lead.

“We weren’t looking for a three,” Stockton said. “It just kind of happened. There wasn’t much thought, it just went in.”

The Clippers had a chance to tie it after Tyrone Corbin fouled guard Mark Jackson with 0.2 seconds remaining, but Jackson missed the first free throw and intentionally missed the second.

“I just missed the first one,” said Jackson, who had a season-high 26 points and 10 assists. “There’s no explanation, I just missed it.

“It will be a long night for me.”

Harper didn’t feel that he was punished by being benched against the Lakers.

“It didn’t make me no difference,” said Harper, who played only 20 minutes against the Jazz, none in the fourth quarter. “It didn’t hurt me, it’s the fans who came to the game last night and paid to see the game (who were cheated).

“I had a good time last night. I needed that extra day off. It just meant that instead of five days off with not doing anything I had six. “

Did Harper feel that Weiss tried to make an example of them?

“Whatever,” Harper said. “What Coach Weiss wanted to do he did, so I hope he felt good about it. He just changed the rule, that’s all he did. The rule now is if you miss practice and nobody died in your family, you can’t play the next day. I don’t care if you’re sick, you’ve got to bring your (butt) in.

Was Harper sick?

“No, I was healthy,” Harper said. “I just missed my flight and I don’t feel sorry I missed it.”

Harper thinks the Clippers got a glimpse of the future when they beat the Lakers without him and Manning.

“What it says is they better face reality and take a good look at last night, because next season that’s what it’s going to look like,” Harper said. “If that’s what they want to put on the court next year, God bless ‘em.”