Clippers can’t catch a break

If you’re a Clippers fan, it’s probably best to avoid watching them on Valentine’s Day. They just might break your heart.

They did so on Wednesday night at Staples Center, blowing a 15-point lead and wasting a season-high 31-point effort by Cuttino Mobley in losing to the Atlanta Hawks, 96-93.

With offensive leader Elton Brand sidelined for the second straight game because of back spasms, Mobley gave the Clippers an offensive boost, scoring 20 points in the first half alone.

But Mobley suffered a strained left groin in the second quarter, the condition worsening in the fourth quarter. He played all but 19 seconds in the final quarter but missed his only two shots.

He indicated he should have been given the ball more in the final 12 minutes. “There was nothing wrong with my wrists,” Mobley said.

“This was a horrible loss for us,” Clippers Coach Mike Dunleavy. “Some of our guys need to take these four days off and get their heads straight defensively.”

On the day he learned he would be making his first appearance in the NBA All-Star game, Joe Johnson was Atlanta’s leading scorer with 27 points.

It was a bitter homecoming for the Clippers after a disappointing seven-game, 12-day trip that resuIted in only two victories. In all, the Clippers have lost three in a row and six of seven.

The loss dropped their record to 25-28 heading into the All-Star break. They also fell half a game behind Minnesota for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

It wasn’t as if Mobley had never done this before. He twice scored 41 points in a game when he was a Houston Rocket.

It wasn’t as if this was totally unexpected. He was signed as a free agent before last season to provide offensive punch.

But if Mobley, who was averaging 15 points a game before Wednesday night, could provide the kind of production he did against the Hawks, and sustain it throughout a game, it could take considerable pressure off Brand, who is averaging 20.7 points a game.

Mobley would be especially effective in siphoning some of the double-teams away from Brand because of his ability as an outside shooter

That was certainly on display Wednesday. Mobley made 12 of 18 shots, including five of six from three-point range. He also made both of his free throws.

And it seemed, at least until the fourth quarter, that he could do no wrong.

Taking a pass from teammate Quinton Ross in the third quarter while set up in the corner, Mobley fired away in the face of an onrushing Josh Smith.

Basket good and a foul, giving Mobley a four-point play.

Later in the quarter, Mobley attempted a short, turnaround jumper. The ball hit the front of the rim, the back of the rim, the front again and then settled softly through the net.

The score was tied at 90-90 with 1 1/2 minutes to play.

Smith tried to break the deadlock with a three-point shot but missed.

The Clippers’ Sam Cassell appeared to break the deadlock with a jump shot that went into the basket, but then popped out.

Finally, Johnson drove in for the layup that put his team ahead with 19 seconds to play.

Chris Kaman had two chances to tie the score at the other end of the court but failed on both attempts. He misfired on a hook shot, scrambled along the baseline to retrieve his miss, but then launched a line drive that wound up an airball, Johnson coming down with it.

Johnson was immediately fouled and made both free throws.

The Clippers weren’t done. Tim Thomas connected on a three-point shot to cut the margin to one at 94-93 with 4.9 seconds remaining.

On the inbounds pass, Johnson was again fouled, with 4.3 seconds remaining, and again made both free throws

Finally, Shaun Livingston fed Corey Maggette at the three-point line. Maggette failed to get off a clean shot with Atlanta’s Zaza Pachulia in his face. Maggette leaned into Pachulia, trying to draw a foul, but the officials wouldn’t buy it.

For the Clippers, heartbreak once again.

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steve.springer@latimes.com