Clippers Make It a Night of Firsts : Pro basketball: They win first game and end Sacramento’s perfect start as Manning leads the way, 109-101.

There was no heartbreak Wednesday night for the Clippers. No Byron Scott, no Charles Barkley, no Randy Brown on a career night.

The only sign of their painful recent history, an 0-3 start, was the Sacramento Kings, who had beaten them in Northern California 24 hours earlier in the home-and-home set. They were the ones with Clipper tire tracks on their foreheads.

The Clippers’ first victory of the season was that convincing, a 109-101 decision before 9,236 at the Sports Arena as Danny Manning had 21 points, 15 rebounds, nine assists and three blocked shots. Mark Jackson added 19 points, nine assists and eight rebounds.

“It’s a relief,” Coach Larry Brown said after breaking the season-opening losing streak. “But we still have a long, long way to go.”

Consider this showing a step in the right direction, albeit with a fourth quarter that allowed the Kings, losing for the first time in four games, to climb back during garbage time. The biggest strides belonged to Manning, who had one rebound against the same team a night earlier and came back to miss his career high by only one.

“This was a game we needed,” Manning said. “We also needed the first three games. But this breaks the ice.”

So the Clippers were ready for the Kings the second time, with games against the Lakers, Utah, Detroit, New York and Phoenix next up.

“We had to be ready,” Manning said. “The time had come. The time had come and gone. We were kind of frustrated. Tonight, we just wanted to come out and play hard from the start.”

The game couldn’t have come soon enough for some Clippers, not after losing the night before at Sacramento on Brown’s short baseline jumper with a second to play.

“I don’t know about getting the same team, but it’s wonderful to play again so soon,” Clipper Coach Larry Brown said before the rematch. “It is kind of strange because I like having the time to teach and mold, and I hope we get a lot of time together for that. But emotionally, we wanted to get back on the court and play.”

It showed. The Clippers built a double-digit lead 54 seconds into the second quarter, extended it to 16 points, 34-18, on Jaren Jackson’s jumper, then to 18 when Stanley Roberts made one of two free throws for a 39-21 lead. The Kings were in the midst of a 2:43 scoreless streak and a span of 3:33 without a field goal.

The Clippers didn’t let up, finally pushing the cushion to 19 points when Ron Harper hit a three-point shot with nine-tenths of a second left before halftime. That was good for a 56-37 advantage, Manning leading the way with 13 points on six-of-seven shooting and nine rebounds.

It was nearly the best of all Clipper worlds, a long-sought but frequently missed destination the first three games. A chance to breath in the wake of a string of close losses, yes. But it was also a night when Loy Vaught seemed to be getting his timing and legs back after being sidelined the opening weekend because of a sprained ankle. And when Manning played without foul trouble for a change, allowing him to go 20 minutes the first half alone after having come in averaging only 32.7 minutes the first three outings.

The only negative was that Roberts could not shake his foul problems. He got his third foul with 3:13 left in the second quarter, his fourth 3:22 into the third. He played 13 minutes, and only three in the second half.

“I’d like to play him more,” Brown said, “but every game he gets two or three fouls so quick, almost during warm-ups. It’s a double-edged sword because he needs the minutes to get into shape.”

With or without Roberts, the Clippers did not break stride. They led by as many as 24 early in the third quarter and were cruising by 20, 86-66, heading into the fourth.