Clippers Quickly Lose All Control

Earl Boykins arched a buzzer-beating jump shot from the right-hand corner through the hoop, sending the Clippers to a two-point lead after three quarters Thursday against the Portland Trail Blazers.

And then it went like this for the Clippers:

Derek Anderson swished an open three-point basket for the Trail Blazers. Scottie Pippen sank another jumper without much pressure. Dale Davis dropped a defender along the baseline and dunked.

Game over.

The Clippers lost their momentum and their smarts en route to a 119-101 loss before a sellout crowd of 19,980 fans at the Rose Garden that featured a remarkable fourth-quarter collapse. Or to look at it another way, the Trail Blazers seized control after slumbering for three quarters, routing the Clippers, 37-17, in the fourth.

The Trail Blazers’ victory was their 17th in 18 games against the Clippers in Portland. The lone Clipper victory during that stretch was April 11, 1999.

“It was both, man,” Clipper guard Jeff McInnis said when asked whether it was the Clippers’ letdown or the Trail Blazers’ surge that turned a taut game into a runaway. “We just let down in the fourth. They took it to us in the fourth.”

In a word, McInnis said, it was “terrible.”

Coach Alvin Gentry put it this way: “When things are going south for us, when they’re not going well, we have to do a much better job of what I call gutting it up.”

No guts, no glory?

It seemed to be the case for the Clippers, who controlled much of Thursday’s game. They led by 25-21 after one quarter, by 54-52 after two and, thanks to Boykins’ jumper, by 84-82 after three.

The Clippers also built a 14-point lead after Quentin Richardson’s three-pointer late in the second quarter. It didn’t last though, as Portland chipped away, sticking close until striking to start the fourth quarter.

“We were going along pretty good, but we let that 14-point lead slip away too easily,” Gentry said. “We played hard, but most of our mistakes are mental. We’ve got to start thinking the game better.”

The Clippers played their third game without forward Lamar Odom, who was suspended Monday for the second time in eight months for violating the NBA’s drug policy. It was their first loss without him. The Trail Blazers were without point guard Damon Stoudamire, who continues to suffer from tendinitis in his right knee.

Corey Maggette filled in for Odom at small forward and scored 15 of his 20 points in the first half. But Maggette, like his teammates, struggled in the pivotal fourth quarter and Portland capitalized.

Pippen, who often is called a point forward because of his uncanny ability to spot open teammates, moved to point guard to replace Stoudamire. Pippen made only four of 13 shots, but still had a firm hand on the game. He had 11 points, took seven rebounds and added 13 assists.

Pippen’s assists were the most by a Portland player since Stoudamire had 15 in an April 6, 1998 game against the San Antonio Spurs.

“This team has a lot of weapons,” Gentry said of Portland. “Scottie controlled the game. He is one of the few guys in the league who doesn’t have to score 20 points to control a game.”

The Clippers never recovered from Portland’s 7-0 run to start the fourth quarter and the visitors remained winless in three games on the road.

Anderson scored 10 of his team-leading 26 points in the final quarter. Bonzi Wells added 24 for the Trail Blazers (3-3). Elton Brand had 25 points on 10-of-16 shooting and five of six free throws for the Clippers (2-4).

“I’m disappointed,” Gentry said. “If we could have played the entire game, we could have had a chance to steal a win on the road.... [But] you can’t give up 67 points in the second half and expect to win.”