Clippers Get Caught on the Rebound

If this continues, Clipper Coach Bill Fitch, who underwent an emergency triple bypass last summer, won’t need a stress test to monitor his heart.

The Clippers squandered an eight-point fourth-quarter lead to the Denver Nuggets and lost for the first time in five games, 109-107, when Antonio McDyess tipped in a miss by LaPhonso Ellis with fourth-tenths of a second remaining in overtime Sunday before 7,802 at McNichols Arena.

However, television replays seemed to indicate that McDyess’ game-winning shot shouldn’t have counted because he still had the ball in his hands when the 24-second shot clock expired.

Even McDyess thought the Nuggets had committed a shot-clock violation.

“I thought it was still in my hands when the shot clock went off,” said McDyess, who had 33 points. “I was surprised.”

There were 24.3 seconds remaining when the play began and Ellis’ shot didn’t hit the rim, bouncing off the backboard and through Dale Ellis’ hands to McDyess.

Although TV replays seemed to indicate that there were two-tenths of a second remaining when the ball left McDyess’ hands, referee Ronnie Nunn corrected his original mistake by putting four-tenths of a second back on the game clock.

Thus, no shot-clock violation.

“When the refs were putting 0.4 seconds back on the clock, I thought they were calling a shot-clock violation,” McDyess said.

The Clippers didn’t have time to get off a good shot after McDyess’ game-winner as Malik Sealy missed a desperation over-the-shoulder heave from midcourt at the buzzer.

Fitch was surprisingly subdued after the loss.

“I didn’t have to watch a replay of their final shot,” Fitch said. “The three guys calling the game, if they say it’s legitimate, it’s legitimate, no matter what I think. There’s no easy way to lose a ballgame.”

Vaught, who had 25 points and 15 rebounds, said it was a tough way to lose.

“We caught a bad break,” Vaught said. “You can sit and dissect it and evaluate it, but at the end of the day we came up on the short end of the stick.”

Leading, 103-101, after Vaught made a jump shot with 2:09 left in overtime, the Clippers were outscored, 6-0, as Anthony Goldwire made a three-point shot and LaPhonso Ellis, who had 29 points, made a hook shot and a free throw with 1:09 remaining in overtime to give the Nuggets a 107-103 lead.

But the Clippers scored four consecutive points as Rodney Rogers made a layup and Vaught tipped in a miss by Rogers with 24.3 seconds left to tie it at 107.

But the Nuggets, playing an NBA-record third consecutive overtime game, beat the clock and the Clippers.

“We’ll look at a lot of different plays tonight,” Fitch said. “It was just call after call with this crew. But once a game is over, it’s over.”

In addition to McDyess’ apparent shot-clock violation, the Clippers, outscored, 6-2, in the last 1:39 of the overtime, were also hurt by two questionable calls at the end of regulation, including a flagrant foul by Eric Piatkowski against Bryant Stith and an offensive foul against Charles Outlaw while setting a screen on Goldwire.

The Clippers had a chance to win it in regulation, but guard Darrick Martin, who had 19 points, missed a driving layup as time expired.