Clippers Fall at Detroit, Fail Another Road Test

By CHRIS BAKER

March 29, 1997 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. —

The Detroit Pistons caught the Clippers with their guard down Friday night.

Piston guards Joe Dumars and Lindsey Hunter combined to outscore Clipper guards Darrick Martin and Malik Sealy 51-18 and the Pistons handed the Clippers their worst defeat of the season, 113-85, before 21,454 at the Palace of Auburn Hills.

“There’s going to be games like this,” Martin said after the Pistons shot 59.7%, the highest percentage an opponent has registered against the Clippers this season. “We’ve just got to stop the bleeding.”

The Clippers (31-39), who have averaged only 86.5 points in losing the first two games of a seven-game, 12-day trip, fell into eighth place in the Western Conference, half a game behind the Phoenix Suns, who beat the Golden State Warriors in overtime, 122-115.

“I hate losing like that,” Clipper guard Eric Piatkowski said after the Clippers fell behind by 32 points in the final quarter.

“It’s unbelievable that we’re playing this bad and we’re in the position we’re in where we could actually make the playoffs.

“I have no idea what the reason is. We just go out there and it’s like we get within two points and they go on a 12-0 run on us. It’s frustrating because they’re all stupid mistakes. You start hanging your head and you make another mistake.

“If we don’t get things turned around, we’re definitely not going to make the playoffs.”

Dumars, who had 26 points, made nine of 16 shots, including three three-point shots, and had eight assists and three rebounds. Hunter, who had 25 points, made eight of 13 shots, including five three-pointers, and had two rebounds, four assists and five steals as the Pistons (49-21) handed the Clippers their worst defeat ever at Detroit.

“He looked like the Dumars of old,” said Clipper forward Loy Vaught, who had 14 points and nine rebounds. “He had fresh legs out there. The rim looked big to him.”

Dumars and Hunter played so well they overshadowed all-star forward Grant Hill, who had 21 points, 10 rebounds and six assists.

Martin said the Clippers might have been too concerned with trying to check Hill, who made nine of 11 shots.

“Grant creates shots for his teammates,” Martin said. “You’ve got to be conscious of him. He makes everybody around him better.”

With the Pistons leading by two points, Dumars struck for six points against Clipper reserve guard Brent Barry as the Pistons ended the second quarter with a 12-0 spurt.

Dumars made a three-point shot and added three free throws after Barry fouled him on a three-point attempt with 19.1 seconds remaining in the first half.

Dumars and Hunter had nine points each in the third quarter as the Pistons ended the period with a 21-6 run.

Sealy, who had averaged 26 points in his last two home games before the trip, has scored only six points in each of the first two games of the trip. After making two of seven shots in a 15-point loss at Atlanta on Thursday night, he made one of eight against the Pistons.

“It’s not time to panic yet,” Sealy said. “If we win our next five, everyone won’t be talking about these last two.”

Martin, who missed six of eight shots and had four points against the Hawks, missed seven of 11 shots and had 12 points against Detroit.

“That’s two nights in a row we’ve gotten hammered by the guards,” Clipper Coach Bill Fitch said.

“We’ve played two stinkers back to back against two good basketball teams and they make you look bad sometimes when you’re playing good.”

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Road to Nowhere?

A look at the Clippers’ seven-game, 12-day trip, which could determine whether the team earns its first playoff berth in four years:

Thursday

Atlanta 103, Clippers 88

Friday

Detroit 113, Clippers 85

Sunday