Clippers Fall Short at Summit

All-star forward Charles Barkley of the Houston Rockets put his arm around Clipper forward Rodney Rogers and whispered in his ear as they walked to the locker room after the Rockets had held off the Clippers, 123-119, Tuesday night at the Summit.

“He’s a good friend of mine and I respect him,” Barkley said. “He had a hell of a game too.”

Rogers scored a career-high 34 points, including a rare four-point play when he was fouled after making a three-point shot, as the Clippers nearly erased a 20-point third-quarter deficit.

The Clippers, who opened the fourth quarter with a 19-7 run, got to within two points when Brent Barry made a desperation three-point shot with 5.5 seconds remaining.

But Eddie Johnson, who made five three-point shots and had 23 points, made two free throws with 4.4 seconds remaining, and the Rockets had defeated the Clippers (36-44) for the second time in a week.

The Rockets (55-25), who have the second-most victories in club history, have a half-game lead over the Lakers and are tied with the Seattle SuperSonics for second place in the Western Conference with two games remaining.

The Clippers could determine the outcome since they end the regular season with back-to-back games against the Lakers and SuperSonics.

“I hope they beat the Lakers and I hope somebody beats Seattle so I can rest on Sunday,” said Barkley, who recorded his 34th double-double with 23 points and 14 rebounds.

One night after clinching their first playoff berth in four years, the Clippers could have given up after giving up season highs of 71 points and 11 three-point field goals in the first half. They wound up making 15 three-point baskets, an opponent franchise record.

“We can’t quit,” said Rogers, who made 13 of 18 shots, including four three-point field goals. “We’ve got to keep working hard. That’s the only way we’re going to get better.”

Rogers, whose previous season-high was 30 points in a 14-point loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday, had only nine points in Monday’s playoff-clinching victory over the Dallas Mavericks after getting into foul trouble.

But Rogers carried the Clippers against the Rockets, scoring 12 of their 40 fourth-quarter points.

“I don’t think Rodney was real happy with his play [Monday] night but he was tickled pink with the win,” Clipper Coach Bill Fitch said. “And then he came back tonight and nailed some more threes and he got it going.”

Rich Manning, who has been with the Clippers for 15 days, started in place of center Lorenzen Wright, who was serving a one-game suspension for elbowing Maverick center Shawn Bradley.

Manning, overmatched against Hakeem Olajuwon, who had 24 points and nine rebounds, played only six minutes before he was replaced by Bo Outlaw.

“We threw him into deep water, but he didn’t do that bad,” Fitch said. “We were playing [Olajuwon] straight up when he was on the floor, and there aren’t any centers, veterans or otherwise, who can play Olajuwon straight up and look real good.”

The Clippers couldn’t have been much worse in the first half, falling behind by 15 points after guard Matt Maloney made four of the Rockets’ 11 three-point shots.

“I don’t know how to explain the first half other than you’ve got to double Olajuwon and give someone else a shot,” Fitch said. “They just couldn’t miss.”