Clippers Lose on 50-Foot Shot

Danny Manning thought he was fouled by LaPhonso Ellis. Clipper teammates thought his short shot along the left baseline in the final seconds, blocked by Dikembe Mutombo, should have been called goaltending. Either way, Manning turned around in time to see Denver’s Chris Jackson launch a 50-footer at the buzzer.

“Overtime,” Manning said. “I saw him shoot. But you don’t think shots like that will go in.”

It did, giving the Nuggets their only lead of the game and a 109-106 victory at the Sports Arena Friday on the night Ken Norman passed Benoit Benjamin to become the all-time leading scorer in Clipper history.

“Danny will just break it,” was Norman’s reaction. “It doesn’t mean that much.”

Either it really doesn’t matter to Norman or he, as were the rest of the Clippers, was stunned at the sudden turn of events. They blew two big leads to a team that had been winless on the road, getting outscored, 30-17, during the fourth quarter. They lost on a desperation shot that materialized only because Mutombo’s block of Manning went right to Jackson.

“My teammates were hollering, ‘Time! Time!’ ” said Jackson, who finished with 19 points. “There was one-point-something seconds left. I just wanted to try my luck.”

Denver climbed out of big holes twice to pressure the Clippers, even after they had taken a 13-point lead during the first quarter. The next time, the Nuggets trailed by 12 in the early in the fourth quarter, 93-81, and charged back again.

The Clippers’ lead was down to 99-97 with 4:47 remaining after Ellis tipped in his missed shot for Denver, then was erased completely at 106-106 when Jackson made a three-pointer from the left flat with 55 seconds to play. A big shot, but, as it turned out, merely a warm-up.

Norman’s accomplishment had been six-plus years in the making, since the Clippers picked him during the first round of the 1987 draft, but especially long of late. A thumb injury near the start of the season was followed by an ankle injury, which was followed by a shooting slump, which delayed his chance to break Benjamin’s mark, set in 31 more games, until Friday.

By then, he was shooting 41.9% (18 of 43) in his previous five games. He was averaging only 7.6 points in 27 minutes over that stretch, which included one 11-minute appearance before being forced out by a sprained ankle. Rebounding has provided the major compensation--eight per game during the same span.

But there was little suspense as to whether Norman would catch Benjamin, his former teammate, Friday. He needed one point to tie at 5,404, and got the record with his first shot of the game, a free-throw line jumper with 7:25 left in the opening quarter. That helped the Clippers take a 13-point lead within nine minutes, 23-10, and then at 25-12.

No Clipper has scored more points than Norman in their 14-plus seasons in San Diego and Los Angeles, a testament to his longevity in an organization with a history of changes as well as his consistency. Two Buffalo Braves--Randy Smith, at an uncatchable 12,735 points, and Bob McAdoo, at 9,434--are ahead of Norman on the all-time franchise scoring list.

The only thing that could put a damper on the accomplishment, and a rare strong opening by Stanley Roberts, was the play of the Clippers.

That 13-point lead? It was all but gone by the second quarter, when the Nuggets got within 46-45 on two free throws by Todd Lichti with 2:02 left before halftime. The Clipper advantage was at one point heading into halftime, 50-49, despite 11 points from Ron Harper and eight from three other starters, including Roberts.

After playing 24 minutes Wednesday at Dallas, six more than his previous season high, Roberts didn’t get his first foul until 1:58 remained in the first quarter, but then gained momentum. He got another before the end of the period, and had four by intermission.

The Clippers used a 39-point third quarter, tying their biggest quarter of the season, to regain some breathing room, converting an 8-0 rally midway through for another double-digit lead. It was 89-79 heading into the fourth.

Clipper Notes

Barring significant injury, Ken Norman should also pass Benoit Benjamin sometime in early February for the L.A. and San Diego Clipper record for most games played (406). . . . Reggie Williams, the Nuggets’ second-leading scorer, sat out for the second consecutive game because of a toe injury. Kevin Brooks replaced him in the starting lineup. . . . The teams will play again tonight at Denver at 6 PST. The game will be televised on Channel 13.