Clippers Are Just the Right Medicine for Carroll : Although Battling the Flu, Center Gets 33 Points in Warriors’ 119-117 Victory

Center Joe Barry Carroll of the Golden State Warriors was so sick, he could barely get out of bed Tuesday morning.

But the Clippers probably wish that Carroll had stayed in bed.

Carroll scored a game-high 33 points, including 21 in the second half, as the Warriors edged the Clippers, 119-117, Tuesday night before 6,813 fans at the Sports Arena.

“He was real sick at the shoot-around so we sent him back to the hotel,” Golden State Coach George Karl said of Carroll. “He looked sluggish early in the game, but he put it into fifth gear.

“I don’t know of a center in our division or conference who has played better than J.B,” Karl said. “J.B. has meant a hell of a lot more to us that Kareem (Abdul-Jabbar) means to the Lakers.”

Carroll was at his best in the fourth quarter, scoring 15 points. He had 6 of Golden State’s last 10 points.

Carroll broke a 115-115 tie when he made a three-foot hook shot over Clipper center Benoit Benjamin with 26 seconds left. The Clippers had a chance to tie it, but Carroll stole a pass from Clipper guard Darnell Valentine to seal the win for the Warriors. Valentine was trying to get a pass to Benjamin, but Carroll moved around Benjamin and intercepted it.

“It (the steal) was out of desperation,” Carroll said. “Ben had all that meat on me down low, so I came around out of desperation more than fundamental defense.

“I’d been feeling sick for a couple of days, but last night it got pretty bad and it (the flu) landed today. I was hurting out there. It was more difficult than it appeared.

“My head was spinning (at Tuesday morning’s practice). I just went back and got into bed. I stayed in bed this afternoon, and I decided to give it a try.

“I just went out and tried to put it in the back of my mind. I was a little winded.”

Golden State (14-9), off to its best start since the 1981-82 season, extended its winning streak to three straight--all on the road. Last season, the Warriors won six games on the road, but they’ve already matched that figure this season.

The Warriors went to Carroll down the stretch, and he came through.

With the score tied at 109-109, Carroll made a little spin move and scoring on a reverse layin to give the Warriors a 111-109 lead with 3 minutes 20 seconds left. After Benjamin followed with a slam, Carroll sank two free throws to give the Warriors the lead again.

“Having J.B. down there going one-on-one is the best we can do at the end of the game,” said Warrior forward Ben McDonald. McDonald, who played at UC Irvine, had 10 points and 8 rebounds for Golden State.

Guard Eric (Sleepy) Floyd added 22 points and 12 assists for the Warriors.

Floyd sank two free throws with 10 seconds left after the steal by Carroll to give the Warriors a four-point (119-115) lead.

Clipper forward Michael Cage made a layin with one second left for the final margin.

Cage, who has been carrying the Clippers on his broad shoulders, scored 20 points and hauled down 18 rebounds.

Said Cage: “Golden State is a good team. Joe Barry came in and made two big baskets for them. But this is getting frustrating. We’re playing good ball. Sometimes, you self destruct.

“We hurt ourselves in the end. We had the ball. We have to take care of the ball. We have to be patient when we have the ball.”

Forward Cedric Maxwell led the Clippers with 25 points and 11 rebounds. Valentine had 24 points, 6 assists and 6 turnovers.

Benjamin, who had missed four games with a sore right knee, came off the bench to score 16 points in 28 minutes. It was the first time he had played in 12 days.

Rookie Tim Kempton, who started his third consecutive game, had a career-high 11 points.

Guard Mike Woodson, who had been averaging 26.7 points in his last four games, had an off night. Woodson made just 5 of 17 shots from the floor and finished with 12 points.

It was the third straight defeat for the Clippers (4-18), who have lost 15 of their last 16 games.

Oh well, another game, another loss.

Said Clipper Coach Don Chaney: “I hate being redundant. We get down to the wire and we make mistakes. We have to learn to win.”

Clipper Notes

Clipper assistant coach Brad Greenberg resigned to take a similar position with the New York Knicks. . . . The Clippers are still trying to work out with Chicago the compensation for free-agent guard Quintin Dailey. The Bulls have 10 more days to make a decision on Dailey, who signed an offer sheet last Friday. If they wait the full 15 days, Dailey would make his Clipper debut Dec. 27 against the Boston Celtics at the Sports Arena. Dailey is averaging 26.3 points in the Continental Basketball Assn. . . . Center Kurt Nimphius missed his third straight game with a strained left groin. He hopes to return for Thursday night’s game against the Sacramento Kings. . . . Guard Larry Drew was sidelined with a strained right hamstring. He has missed 9 of the last 11 games due to the injury. . . . The Clipper wives are having a toy drive for poor children. Any fan who brings an unwrapped toy worth $5 or more to Thursday night’s game against Sacramento or Saturday night’s game against Washington, will receive a free ticket to the game against the Bullets.