Nuggets Won’t Let Clippers Get Closer : Pro basketball: Four-game winning streak ends against the team L.A. somehow hopes to to catch.

The Clippers, who maintain that they have an outside shot to overtake the Denver Nuggets for the eighth and final Western Conference playoff berth, had better wait before they begin printing playoff tickets.

The Nuggets ended the Clippers’ season-high four-game winning streak Thursday, handing them an 102-99 loss before 9,661 at the Sports Arena.

“It was an ugly night for us,” said guard Ron Harper, who scored 27 points and ended his month-long silence.

Harper, however, maintains that the Clippers, who have two more games left against Denver, still have a chance.

“It doesn’t look good, but I think we have been playing hard as a team and we have improved as a team,” Harper said. “As long as we improved, that’s a very, very good sign.”

The Clippers (23-39) are eight games behind the Nuggets (31-31). Each team has 20 games left, but the Nuggets may have an edge because they have 11 games left in Denver, where they are 22-8. The Clippers, who open a six-game Eastern trip next week, have eight home games and 12 road games remaining.

But until All-Star forward Dominique Wilkins arrived last month, the Clippers seemed destined for the NBA draft lottery. They are 5-5 since trading Danny Manning for Wilkins on Feb. 24.

Wilkins, who had averaged 29.9 points in his first nine games as a Clipper, scored 35 points, including 12 in the fourth quarter.

But Wilkins, who made 10 of 22 shots from the field and 15 of 19 free throws had a chance to tie the score, 100-100, with 13.8 seconds left when he was fouled by Laphonso Ellis, but he missed the first of two free throws.

“I just can’t believe I missed that many free throws down the stretch,” Wilkins said. “This was definitely a game we had. We just missed so many free throws, and that’s what lost the game for us.”

There were no heroics by seven-foot rookie center Bob Martin, who had a season-high 10 points and 11 rebounds as the Clippers overcame a 20-point lead to defeat the Utah Jazz, 108-105, on Tuesday. Martin had three points and five rebounds before fouling out while trying to guard Dikembe Mutombo, who had 21 points and 13 rebounds. Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf also had 21 points as the Nuggets ended a five-game road losing streak.

Trailing, 91-84, after Rodney Rogers made a three-pointer, the Clippers outscored the Nuggets, 7-3, to cut it to 94-91 on a layup by Wilkins with 2:14 remaining. After former Clipper Reggie Williams sank a jumper, Wilkins made a follow shot and a free throw with 1:21 remaining for 96-94.

After Abdul-Rauf missed a jumper, Harper made a three-pointer in front of Denver Coach Dan Issel for 97-96, but Abdul-Rauf answered with a jumper for 98-97. Charles Outlaw tied it when he made the first of two free throws with 30 seconds remaining.

But Bryant Stith, who had 17 points, made two free throws after he was fouled by Harper to break the tie with 30.6 seconds remaining. The Clippers used a timeout to set up a play, but reserve guard Randy Woods and Harper missed back-to-back three-pointers.

After Wilkins’ free throw made it 100-99, the Clippers wasted nine seconds before Wilkins fouled Stith, who sank two free throws for 102-99 with 4.8 seconds left.

Clipper Notes

Steve Kauffman, who represents Dominique Wilkins, has been here since Tuesday, but Kauffman said his primary purpose wasn’t to negotiate a new contract for Wilkins, who could become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. He also denied a report that Wilkins’ has set a Sunday deadline for the Clippers to sign him. Columnist Peter Vecsey of the New York Post reported that Wilkins, 34, has asked for a $21-million, three-year contract and there are also reports that he’s asking for $18 million over three years. Clipper spokesman Joe Safety declined comment.