Clippers Have Shot, Run Out of Bullets : Pro basketball: Potential game-tying three-pointers by Woods and Murray go astray as Washington holds on to win, 105-102.

Clipper owner Donald T. Sterling fled his courtside seat at halftime of Friday night’s game against the Washington Bullets.

That was a mistake.

The Clippers might be the worst team in the NBA, but they never quit, as they demonstrated once again at the Sports Arena.

After falling behind the injury-depleted Bullets by 20 points two minutes into the fourth quarter, the Clippers rallied, only to lose their fourth consecutive game, 105-102, before an announced crowd of 7,600.

But by then, Sterling was long gone.

The Clippers, who trailed, 105-96, with 54 seconds left, scored six consecutive points as forward Charles Outlaw made a dunk and a hook shot and guard Randy Woods made a layup with 30 seconds left.

The Clippers had two shots to tie the game after forward Lamond Murray stole the ball from guard Calbert Cheaney with 23.5 seconds left. But Murray missed a three-point shot with 7.8 seconds left and Woods missed a three-pointer with four seconds left. Murray also missed a shot after the buzzer.

“We ran the same play we ran the play before where Outlaw got the layup,” Woods said. “We were going to try to get Lamond for the three, but they both went to Lamond, so we really didn’t have a shot and everybody was just trying to create a shot. We got two good looks.”

Former UCLA star Mitchell Butler scored 22 points as the Bullets (7-16), who were without their three top scorers, Chris Webber, Don MacLean and Rex Chapman, ended an eight-game losing streak.

The Clippers, who trailed by only two points at halftime, collapsed in the third quarter, shooting only 29% (4-14) while being outscored, 31-16.

“They looked tired in the first quarter,” said Clipper forward Loy Vaught, who had 20 points and 13 rebounds. “I was anticipating a win and a fun game and a game to build on confidence-wise.

“I looked up and we were down two and I looked up again and we were down 13. To our credit, we had a nice run in the fourth quarter (but) we came up a little short.”

Murray, the Clippers’ top draft pick, sprained his right ankle when he stumbled while going after a loose ball two minutes into the third quarter. He returned with 6.5 seconds left in the quarter after getting his ankle retaped and finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds.

The first half was so bad that Gheorghe Muresan, the Bullets’ slow-footed, 7-foot-7, 303-pound reserve center, looked like the best player on the court.

Muresan got 10 points, one shy of his season-high, four rebounds and three blocks as Washington, which trailed by 11 points in the first quarter, took a 54-52 halftime lead.

Coach Jim Lynam started Muresan in the third quarter in place of Kevin Duckworth, who has an Achilles’ heel injury. He finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

The Bullets announced before the game that forward Webber, expected to be out six weeks after dislocating his left shoulder in Thursday night’s 107-87 loss at Golden State, has been placed on the injured list.

Webber said he won’t be out that long.

“I was X-rayed today and everything was negative,” Webber said. “I’ll be back in three to four weeks.”

Webber was examined Friday by Dr. Tony Daly, the Clipper physician.

“I told him today that’s it’s hard to estimate,” Daly said. “I would guess (Webber will miss) three to six weeks.”

Facing the Warriors for the first time since being traded to the Bullets last month, Webber was hurt in the third quarter while diving for a loose ball. The shoulder was put back in place by Warrior team doctors.

“It was disappointing, but you take a risk every game you play,” Webber said while receiving treatment before the game. “It was a sad way to end it, but it could have been a lot worse. It could have been a knee or a broken shoulder, so I’m still blessed.”

The Bullets have been hit hard by injuries, losing MacLean, who has missed the last eight games with tendinitis in both knees, and Chapman, who has missed eight games with a groin injury.

Clipper Notes

The Bullets activated forward Kenny Walker, who had been on the injured list.