Clippers Pooh-Pooh a Shot at Record : Pro basketball: Richardson’s basket at end of overtime beats Bucks, 96-94, and ends streak at 16.

You know that headline type used for earthquakes, riots and floods?

Well, break it out today because the Clippers finally won their first game of the season after losing their first 16.

One loss away from tying the NBA record for the worst start set when the expansion Miami Heat lost its first 17 games in 1988, the Clippers finally found a team they could beat, defeating the Milwaukee Bucks, 96-94, in overtime Wednesday night before an announced 6,443 at the Sports Arena.

Guard Pooh Richardson made a 20-foot jumper from the top of the key as time ran out to give the Clippers their first victory and trigger a wild celebration.

“It was the sweetest shot I ever saw,” forward Loy Vaught said. “It’s a very good feeling. That futility record we almost set is something we didn’t want to have our names attached to.”

With “I Love L.A.” playing over the loudspeakers, fans and players flooded the court and mobbed Richardson, who had nine points and 13 assists.

With the score tied at 94-94 after Marty Conlon made a layup, the Clippers called a timeout to set up a play. Richardson passed it to Eric Piatkowski, who was stripped of the ball by Eric Murdock. However, rookie forward Lamond Murray, who had 19 points in his first NBA start, came up with the ball in a wild scramble and fed Richardson for the game-winning shot.

Vaught, who promised to buy the team a bottle of Dom Perignon when it got its first victory, had a career-high 30 points and 14 rebounds as the Clippers ended a 20-game losing streak dating back to last season.

“We kept the fans on the edge of their seats, but nothing comes easy here,” Vaught said. “Every single guy had a hand in this win. It was like 12 guys against the world. We had a lot of critics. A lot of people wanted us to set the record.”

With the Clippers trailing, 92-88, after Vin Baker scored the first four points in the five-minute overtime period, Vaught hit a jumper to trigger a 6-0 spurt.

Murray, who had never won an NBA game, made a three-point shot to give the Clippers a 93-92 lead with 1:31 remaining. Murray added a free throw with 45.6 seconds remaining to give the Clippers a two-point lead.

The Bucks called time out to set up a play, but Clipper reserve forward Charles Outlaw blocked a layup by forward Glenn Robinson with 26 seconds remaining.

After another timeout, Robinson faked a shot and passed to Conlon, who made a layup with 22.5 seconds left to tie it at 94-94. Conlon, who was fouled by Murray, missed the free throw

With the Clippers leading, 88-85, in regulation, Robinson, who had 22 points, made a three-point shot from the top of the key to tie it at 88-88 with 22.1 seconds remaining.

The Clippers had a chance to win it in regulation, but Richardson missed a jumper with one second left.

Leading, 66-65, the Clippers went on a 15-7 run to take an 81-72 lead on Richardson’s jumper with 6:33 remaining.

But the Bucks outscored the Clippers, 12-6, to cut it to 87-84 when Jon Barry, who had 10 fourth-quarter points, made two free throws with 2:11 remaining.

The Bucks had two chances to take the lead after Vaught missed a jumper on the ensuing possession, but Barry missed a jumper and Murdock missed a follow shot with 1:28 remaining.

Piatkowski made the second of two free throws with one minute left to give the Clippers a four-point lead. However, Vin Baker made one free throw with 58.1 seconds left for 88-85.

The Clippers ran the clock down to 34 seconds before Murray missed a three-pointer that resulted in a 24-second violation because it didn’t hit the rim.

Coach Mike Dunleavy used a timeout to diagram a play. There was little doubt that the Bucks would try to work the ball to Robinson, the first player selected in the NBA draft. Robinson missed a jumper, but got his own rebound and made the tying three-pointer.

Clipper forward Harold Ellis changed his pregame routine in hopes that it would help change the Clippers’ luck.

“I listened to different music coming over,” Ellis said. “I always listen to Oletta Adams, but tonight I changed it up and I listened to Sting on the way over here.”

Coach Bill Fitch changed his starting lineup, inserting Murray in place of center Matt Fish. Murray had 11 points and three rebounds as the Clippers took a 52-49 halftime lead.

Clipper guard Terry Dehere sat out the final quarter after spraining his right ankle in the third quarter.