Clippers Take One to the House

The longer it went, the better the Clippers’ chances seemed to be Tuesday against the short-handed and road-weary Portland Trail Blazers at Staples Center. The Clippers certainly should have been at their best in the closing minutes, when the hour was late and the Trail Blazers were gasping for air.

But they are the Clippers, after all, and the only certain thing about their play is there is nothing certain about their play.

With time short, reserve guard Eddie House made a three-point basket that sent the game to overtime, then took the game and made it his and the Clippers. House had three points, three steals, two rebounds and an assist in overtime.

Final score: Clippers 103, Trail Blazers 96.

Down, but not quite out after Portland guard Damon Stoudamire torched them for 17 points on seven-for-nine shooting in the fourth quarter, the Clippers forced overtime when House made a tying three-pointer with 3.8 seconds left in regulation.

The Clippers had run an old-fashioned weave out front, seeming to mesmerize the Trail Blazers, who lost track of House in the left-hand corner. House’s shot was straight and true and, after Derek Anderson missed a 40-footer at the other end, the teams were headed to an overtime the Clippers would dominate.

“The play was drawn up for me,” House said. “E.B. [Elton Brand] set a good screen and Marko [Jaric] made the perfect pass. The execution on that play was very good.”

Stoudamire had kept Portland from a fourth-quarter collapse that seemed almost inevitable considering the Trail Blazers had bounced around the continent, traveling from Portland to Seattle to Portland to Minnesota to Chicago to Toronto to Los Angeles in 10 days.

What’s more, the Trail Blazers were without Rasheed Wallace, who had a sprained ankle and could not play Tuesday. Portland’s loss was its 15th in 17 games away from the Rose Garden, the league’s poorest road record.

The Trail Blazers didn’t make it easy on the Clippers, particularly with Stoudamire heating up late.

“We did a really good job of grinding it out,” Clipper Coach Mike Dunleavy said after his first game against his former team. “We’ve played well late in games and in overtime except for the other night against Memphis [a 108-107 loss Sunday]. I was glad to see our guys pull this one out.”

Corey Maggette led the Clippers with 32 points and seven rebounds in 47 minutes. The Clippers also had a season-low nine turnovers.

Stoudamire had 24 points for Portland. He had missed five of six shots before the fourth quarter. Anderson, a former Clipper, had 22 points on eight-of-16 shooting.

Anderson made a three-pointer after Stoudamire had made two on consecutive possessions, and the Trail Blazers erased the Clippers’ modest lead midway through the fourth quarter, holding an 80-76 lead heading into the stretch run.

Stoudamire made five of his first six shots in the fourth quarter and gave Portland a much-needed spark. But he also missed on a drive in the closing seconds. Chris Kaman rebounded for the Clippers, but fouled Zach Randolph.

Moments later, Anderson made two free throws to give Portland a 92-89 lead with 12 seconds to play. House’s three-pointer brought the Clippers even, then they raced away for the victory in overtime.

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One game after playing only 15 minutes and failing to score during the Clippers’ loss to the Grizzlies, guard Quentin Richardson did not play because of a sprained right hand. Richardson’s status for Friday’s game against the Miami Heat is uncertain.

Doug Overton, suffering from a sprained left foot, played a reserve role.