Clippers Can’t Close the Deal

This time, the Clippers did not make 60% of their shots.

This time, the Clippers did not outscore the Seattle SuperSonics in every quarter, as they had in a 30-point opening-night victory two months ago.

This time, the Clippers had to fight and scrap for everything.

This time, the Clippers played without three injured regulars.

This time, the Clippers lost.

The SuperSonics, trailing after three quarters, opened the fourth with a 10-2 run, outplayed the Clippers down the stretch and walked away with a 104-99 victory Tuesday night in front of 15,001 in KeyArena.

The teams play again tonight at Staples Center, with the Clippers still positioned to take the season series for the first time since the 1989-90 season.

Coach Mike Dunleavy thought they had it won Tuesday.

“I thought we did a lot of good things out there, but we made some mistakes at the offensive end on turnovers that really cost us,” he said. “I thought in the fourth quarter guys had really good position; we didn’t deliver the ball.”

Ray Allen, meanwhile, delivered for the SuperSonics, scoring the last of his 31 points on a slicing drive to the basket with 17 seconds to play, sewing up the SuperSonics’ 25th victory in 33 games and second in a row.

“He’s been their influence ... to make plays as they’ve needed them,” Dunleavy said of the All-Star guard, who made five of 10 three-point shots and also finished with seven assists and six rebounds. “He’s come up big for them.

“A couple of three-pointers he made tonight we were all over him and he showed just great concentration to finish them.”

Allen was the only starter to score in double figures for the SuperSonics. They got nine points from their second-leading scorer, Rashard Lewis, who was limited to 24 minutes because of a quad injury, and 49 from their reserves.

Vladimir Radmanovic scored 18 points on seven-for-13 shooting.

Six Clippers scored in double figures, led by Corey Maggette with 20 points. Elton Brand scored 17 points and took 11 rebounds. Rick Brunson scored 15 points. Bobby Simmons scored 14, Chris Kaman 10 and Mikki Moore 10. But only Kaman among the Clipper starters made as many as half his shots.

The Clippers had been nearly flawless in their opening-night rout of the SuperSonics, making a season-high 63% of their shots, never trailing and cruising to the most lopsided season-opening victory in franchise history.

But the SuperSonics didn’t dwell on it, winning their next nine games, and Allen on Monday feigned a memory lapse.

“Did we play them this year?” he asked playfully.

Turning serious, the SuperSonic star told Seattle reporters, “I thought about it all year in anticipation of playing them again with the way they manhandled us. They beat us in every way possible.

“We have to prove to ourselves as a team that we weren’t that bad that night.”

But they were that bad.

Since then, however, they’ve been the surprise team in the NBA. Expected to finish last in the new Northwest Division, they’ve shot to the top with the third-best record in the Western Conference, including a combined 4-0 record against two legitimate title contenders, the San Antonio Spurs and Miami Heat.

“Playing a team like this on the road, it was a good test for us,” Clipper guard Kerry Kittles said. “It just comes down to late in the game being able to make the correct plays and trying to contain those guys as best as possible.

“If you give them a lot of wide-open three-pointers they’re a tough team to beat because they’re going to start making them eventually.”

Tuesday, they made 10, three in the decisive fourth quarter.