Clippers Find a Way to Gift Wrap Game

If Clipper Coach Bill Fitch could sit on Santa’s lap, what would he ask for?

“Good health for everybody, peace on earth, good will toward men--and let those layups go in,” Fitch said.

The Clippers missed three layups in the final 58 seconds of a 97-91 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Sunday night before 13,436 at the San Jose Arena.

With the Clippers trailing, 93-91, after Latrell Sprewell’s three-point play with 1:10 remaining, swingman Charles Outlaw missed a layup with 58 seconds left.

Trailing, 94-91, after Ray Owes made a free throw with 38 seconds left, Clipper forward Lamond Murray had a layup blocked by Warrior forward Joe Smith with 18 seconds left and guard Darrick Martin missed a short follow as the Clippers lost their third consecutive game.

Murray said he was trying to draw a foul.

“That was a tough call,” Murray said. “When I went up I was trying to draw the foul and get to the free-throw line. I hung as long as I could, but when I was coming down, he got a piece of the ball.

“It could have gone both ways. It wasn’t a definite no-call or a definite foul. I drew contact, but late in the game, they aren’t going to make those kind of calls.”

Fitch said the Clippers, who missed their final five shots, can’t blow easy shots.

“The thing that bothered me the most was that in the fourth quarter we had a chance to make some plays and we didn’t make them,” Fitch said. “If you’re going to win a game like this, when you get the ball you’ve got to make some plays.

“You’ve got to make those layups. When we did get it inside and kicked it out, we didn’t shoot it very well outside. I can take that, but when you start missing the layups then it’s tough to climb the hill.”

After Murray missed four of five shots in a 16-point loss at Seattle Friday night, Fitch said to a reporter who’d wondered why Murray doesn’t play more: “You won’t ask me anymore about Murray, will you?”

Given playing time after the Clippers fell behind the Warriors by 15 points in the second period, Murray scored 17 points, one under his season best, as the Clippers took a five-point fourth-quarter lead.

Fitch thinks Murray, who grew up in the Bay Area and attended Cal, is more motivated when he plays here.

“If we could play all our games up here, maybe we could really get him going,” Fitch said. “He plays well in front of mom, she really brings out the best in him.”

Murray, who had a season-high 22 points in a 12-point victory at Golden State on Nov. 14, 1995, agreed.

“When you come home you always want to play well in front of the home crowd who has watched you play as you were growing up,” Murray said. “I came into the game pretty focused and things were flowing really good for me.”

But things weren’t flowing for the Clippers at the end of the game as they were outscored, 18-7, in the final 5:11. The Warriors, who shot 15 more free throws than the Clippers, made nine of 11 free throws in the final 3:56.

Sprewell, who had a game-high 27 points, made four of five free throws in the last 1:10 and had six of the Warriors’ final eight points.

“We played 26 minutes in the penalty and gave up 15 more free throws,” Fitch said. “When you’re playing in the penalty that long, it’s tough to get something going.”

Although the Clippers have been inconsistent, losing 13 of their last 17 games, forward Loy Vaught has remained stable.

Vaught, who had a team-high 20 points and 16 rebounds against the Warriors, has averaged 15.4 points and 16.2 rebounds in his last five games.

“It was all for naught tonight,” Vaught said. “It’s empty when you don’t get a win.”