Clippers Fall Again; Coach Staying Put for Now : Rothenberg Denies That Chaney Is About to Be Fired; Pistons Win, 131-123

PONTIAC, Mich. â€”  Coach Don Chaney of the Clippers has enough to think about without worrying about losing his job.

But it looks as if Chaney is safe--at least for now.

Chaney got a vote of confidence from Alan Rothenberg, the team’s president, after the Clippers lost their 15th consecutive game, 131-123, to the Detroit Pistons Friday night before a crowd of 12,545 fans at the Silverdome.

There has been speculation that the Clippers, who have the worst record in the National Basketball Assn. (4-30) and have lost 27 of their last 28 games, would fire Chaney next week, when the team returned home from its trip, and that General Manager Elgin Baylor would take over as coach for the remainder of the season.

However, Rothenberg said the reports are false.

“It’s absolutely not true,� Rothenberg said. “I don’t know where that came from. No part of it is true.

“It’s not even an issue. I don’t even want to talk about it. There’s nothing going on. Don’s the coach and he’s going to remain the coach.�

Chaney said: “I don’t know what to believe anymore. I personally think I’ve done a more than decent job under the circumstances. And to hear that they are behind me makes me feel relaxed.

“It’s difficult to worry about the team and my future at the same time.

“We’re getting closer to winning a game. It’s going to come, but it’s not an overnight thing.�

All-Star guard Isiah Thomas, who had 20 points and 16 assists for the Pistons Friday night, knows what Chaney and the Clippers are going through.

“They (the Clippers) are running into the same problems we did last season,� said Thomas. “They’re playing good basketball, they’re just not getting wins. You can’t judge a team by its record alone.

“They played good tonight, but we played better. Records really don’t mean anything in this league. Eventually, they will get better. It’s more frustrating than anything.

“I didn’t come out expecting to blow them out because they’re still playing good basketball. I know how hard we’ve played when our backs were against the wall.�

The Clippers, who have lost the first six games of their seven-game trip, went into the game with just 11 players. Larry Drew, the Clippers’ starting point guard, missed the game because of the flu.

However, forward Michael Cage and guard Mike Woodson kept the Clippers in the game.

Cage grabbed a career-high 20 rebounds and scored 15 points, and Woodson scored a team-high 26 points.

Cage has had 16 consecutive games in which he has reached double figures in both scoring and rebounding.

Cage also got into a shoving match with Piston center Bill Laimbeer in the second half after Laimbeer fouled Cage in the key. Cage got a technical foul.

“The last few games I got off to a slow start,� Cage said. “But tonight I tried to start better. I was more hyper out there tonight.�

Trailing, 66-62, at halftime, the Clippers closed within a point at 92-91 with 2:51 left in the third quarter.

But the Pistons scored seven straight points and wound up with a 103-97 lead entering the fourth quarter.

Piston forward Adrian Dantley, who made his first 11 shots, scored 11 points in the third period to lead the Detroit spurt.

Dantley finished with a game-high 27 points in 30 minutes. He made 11 of 14 shots and 5 of 7 free throws.

“He (Dantley) was as hot as a firecracker in the first half,� Piston Coach Chuck Daly said. “He really nailed some shots.�

Laimbeer and guard Joe Dumars each scored 19 points for the Pistons. Laimbeer also grabbed 13 rebounds. Vinnie Johnson came off the bench to add 18 points, and forward Sidney Green had 15.

Clipper Notes The Clippers will close out the trip Monday nightat Atlanta. They’ll return home for one game Wednesday night against Denver before hitting the road again for three games. . . . The Pistons will play the Boston Celtics here tonight. . . . The Clippers are expected to hire an assistant coach next week to replace Brad Greenberg, who quit last month to take an assistant coaching job with the New York Knicks.