Clippers in Limp Sync

There’s no news like Clipper news these days.

It’s all bad, all the time.

Center Michael Olowokandi was the latest to fall, placed on the injured list Sunday because the tendinitis in his left knee that sidelined him for most of training camp has flared up again. He must sit out five games, which means he won’t be eligible to play again until Dec. 11.

Olowokandi made a brief appearance at Staples Center, meeting with Dr. Tony Daly, the team physician, to discuss treatment. Rest is the only cure, Daly said. Olowokandi did not sit with his teammates on the bench during the Clippers’ 92-87 loss to the Indiana Pacers and was not immediately available for comment.

Meanwhile, the Clippers also will be without point guard Andre Miller for an unspecified period. Miller sprained his left ankle in a collision with Sacramento guard Bobby Jackson during a loss to the Kings on Friday and could not play Sunday against the Central Division-leading Pacers.

As he limped from the arena after the Clippers’ 12th loss in 18 games, Miller termed his status “day-to-day.”

Sunday was not the day, and in more ways than one.

Playing without Olowokandi, Miller and Corey Maggette, who until he had arthroscopic knee surgery Friday had been filling in for the injured Lamar Odom at small forward, the Clippers missed their first 11 shots.

They would rally from a nine-point deficit with an inspired second-half run. They built a 73-66 lead after two free throws by Elton Brand with 6:41 left in the game capped a 10-2 run. Brand would finish with 20 points and 12 rebounds in 40 minutes. Marko Jaric had a career-best 25 points.

The Clippers’ lead and momentum would not last. They were ahead, 82-78, after Eric Piatkowski’s three-point basket with 3:34 left. But Indiana’s Reggie Miller scored 10 of his team’s final 14 points, including the go-ahead basket after a Clipper turnover and a 22-foot jump shot that gave the Pacers an 88-85 lead.

Keyon Dooling missed a three-pointer from the left wing with 4.3 seconds left with the Clippers down, 90-87. Ron Mercer made two free throws after the Clippers were forced to foul to account for the final score.

“That wasn’t the play we drew up,” Coach Alvin Gentry said when asked about Dooling’s one-on-one move with plenty of time still on the clock. Asked what play he had designed, Gentry said, “It doesn’t matter now.”

Gentry referred medical questions to others.

Daly said Olowokandi was suffering from “bad tendinitis,” and Miller’s ankle “doesn’t seem bad -- not like Lamar’s or Keyon’s.”

Odom has been sidelined by a sprained right ankle since August. Dooling sat out most of last season because of a sprained right ankle.

Olowokandi has undergone two MRI exams, with another scheduled today.

“Just covering all the bases,” Daly said. “It seems like when he gets back to normal, it kicks up again. He can’t jump.”

Olowokandi’s play suffered recently. He averaged 10.3 points (down from his season average of 14.1) on 12-for-31 shooting in the last three games. He had six points and seven rebounds in 25 minutes Friday against Sacramento.

Still, the severity of Olowokandi’s injury came as a surprise to at least one teammate.

“I was shocked,” Piatkowski said of arriving at Staples Center and learning of Olowokandi’s placement on the injured list Sunday morning. “I didn’t have any idea Michael was hurting like that. And I didn’t know Andre wasn’t starting until we went out for introductions.”

Piatkowski took his customary position as the team’s shooting guard, but with the exception of Brand at power forward, the Clipper starting lineup had a dramatically different look to it.

Jaric, a rookie from Yugoslavia, started for Miller at point guard. Melvin Ely, a rookie playing in his third NBA game, replaced Olowokandi. Quentin Richardson took Jaric’s spot as the small forward.

The Clippers activated forward Tremaine Fowlkes from the injured list to take Olowokandi’s spot on the roster.

“We played some players that haven’t played much this season,” Jaric said. “We played really hard with a big heart, but because of the experience of the Indiana players, they won.”