Clippers experience a bad alarm reaction

Reporting from Memphis, Tenn. — 

Fans were rushing toward the exits and emergency fire alarm lights flashed through FedEx Forum, and a stern message on the scoreboard urged immediate evacuation with less than a minute left in the third quarter of the game between the Clippers and the Memphis Grizzlies.

Fire drill or something much worse? Grizzlies guard O.J. Mayo asked the Clippers’ Baron Davis what was going on.

“I saw everyone getting up and you start thinking of bombs and snipers, tornadoes,” Mayo said. “You don’t know what’s going on. We’d better get off the court and make sure we’re safe.”

The Clippers went out into the chilly night -- the delay prompted by a water line break in the fire-sprinkler system -- and waited out the 36-minute delay on the team bus.

Then they came in from the cold . . . and stayed cold.

Memphis, which had trailed by 12 points at the interruption, rallied to defeat the Clippers, 104-102, Tuesday night, managing to survive Davis’ triple-double effort. In fact, the Grizzlies didn’t take their first lead until there were 1 minute 39 seconds remaining.

The Clippers (17-19) were without an injured Chris Kaman (sore lower back) for the game and Marcus Camby (stomach virus) for the last three quarters. Kaman won’t play tonight at New Orleans.

Trailing by two points, the Clippers had a chance to win it at the end as Rasual Butler had an open look at a three-point shot, set up by Davis, but his shot bounced off the rim.

“That had nothing to do with us losing,” Coach Mike Dunleavy said of the delay. “We came back in that fourth quarter and we got beat to loose balls and offensive rebounds.”

The Clippers squandered a stellar performance from Davis, who had a season-high 27 points, career-tying 12 rebounds and 12 assists. The Clippers had not had a triple-double from a player in nearly seven years, dating to Elton Brand. For Davis, it was his 10th triple-double and his first since April 10, 2008, against Denver when he was with Golden State.

“You see what happened,” Davis said. “What can I say? We didn’t close it out. There was no sense of urgency when we went back in.”

The dressing room was decidedly downcast. Butler kept his head buried in his hands and later posted his emotional reaction on his twitter account, saying: “My bad clipnation . . . I’m so angry rt now its crazy.”

Clearly, the evacuation break was a turning point. In the fourth quarter, the Clippers were outrebounded, 13-6, and Butler and Eric Gordon were a combined 0 for 8 from the field.

“It definitely messed up our momentum,” Brian Skinner said. “We gave away a game. It was my first time in 12 years, my first time ever having to leave an arena.”

Said DeAndre Jordan, who had 23 points, tying a career high: “We just kind of let up a little bit.”

Dunleavy said the Clippers had to twice leave the building during the 36-minute interruption. The Grizzlies’ Zach Randolph, a former Clipper, said he got on his phone during the break to make sure his family was OK.

Said Mayo: “I asked, ‘Baron, is it a fire drill?’ Because I saw the lights blinking. First, I thought it was people taking pictures.”

Mayo thought about it and summoned a childhood memory.

“I told the guys, it reminded you of being at the playground and a fight or something breaks out and everyone stops,” he said. “Once it’s over, you get back on the court and start playing and competing again.”

Etc.

Kaman sat out his first game this season, injuring his back in warmups when he turned to shoot a jumper

“Just a lot of pain,” he said. “I was warming up, the same stuff I normally do, and it happened the way it happened. I can’t really control it. That’s what I tell everybody, injuries are a freak thing. You can’t control them.”

lisa.dillman@latimes.com

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