Clippers Peeking at Scoreboard : Pro basketball: They see a 114-87 victory over Nuggets and also some help in the standings from other teams.

DENVER — Suddenly, the Clippers aspirations are heightened. How about not only making the playoffs, but finishing as high as sixth in the Western Conference standings?

They moved within half a game of that--and the luxury of not having to play a division winner in the first round--by trouncing the Denver Nuggets, 114-87, Saturday night at McNichols Arena to finish a four-city trip with a 3-1 record.

The blowout gave the Clippers a chance to use all 12 players, though none more than 31 minutes, and in essence start the upcoming four-day break early. Most of all, it gave them a chance to scoreboard watch. There wasn’t much worth watching on the court.

They saw that Seattle lost at San Antonio. They saw that Sacramento upset Houston.

With 13 games remaining, they usually try to avoid looking into the future.

For a night, though, they gave in.

“A lot,” said Ron Harper, who finished with 16 points and eight rebounds and was one of six Clippers to score in double figures. “We know Hakeem (Olajuwon of Houston) is hurt. We know Seattle was playing down at San Antonio. This is the time of year when everything starts to fall into place.

“It’s a time where we’ve got to play our best and take care of business on our own, but this is the first time we’ve been able to feel that way around here. We have some guys who have not felt that way since they left school.”

Added Charles Smith: “It is exciting. But if we rely on the other teams, we’re at a loss; we’re not getting mentally prepared for what we have to do. It’s great. It’s gravy, the other teams losing, but we have to take care of our own business.”

So did he scoreboard watch?

“No question,” he admitted.

Said Ken Norman: “Even though our main concern is what we do, it still feels good to be chasing and not playing for the lottery (draft pick). We are playing for the postseason. I like to say we’re playing for a shorter vacation.”

Coach Larry Brown is not concerned that his players might get caught up in events in other cities. If anything, he said after the Clippers won a third consecutive road game for the first time since January of 1990, it helps. He just isn’t able to participate.

“I can’t really,” Brown said. “I’m still trying to familiarize myself with the team and what we’re capable of doing. But everywhere we go, that (playoff talk) is what we hear. I saw the guys looking up at the scoreboard at the results of other games. When’s the last time that happened with the Clippers in March or April?

“I’m thrilled to be in a race. I think it speeds our progress up. That could be one of the best things for this team, to have a lot of big games and try to respond.”

Saturday was big only because it showed the Clippers, who have won seven of their last nine to improve to 37-32, did not suffer a letdown after a victory at Phoenix the night before.

The Clippers pulled away in the third quarter, turning a five-point halftime lead into a 27-point advantage, 83-56. The Nuggets scored 15 points in the quarter and never got closer than 21 thereafter.

“It’s really embarrassing to be blown out at home like we have been,” Denver’s Winston Garland said. “It’s hard to say why we are playing so poor at home (17-17). The Clippers are playing very well, but we didn’t challenge them in the second half.”

Clipper Notes

Gary Grant, who bruised a nerve in his right elbow Friday that has caused problems in his hand, continued to be bothered by numbness and plans to visit team physician Tony Daly today or Monday for further examination. Grant played 24 minutes and made four of seven shots and had eight assists against the Nuggets but was feeling soreness on the right side of his arm from the elbow down. . . . Danny Manning began the night eighth in the league in shooting at 53.8%. . . . Denver’s Dikembe Mutombo, whose great start made rookie of the year seem like a no contest, has failed to register double-digit rebounds in 10 of the last 11 games. He only missed 11 times in his first 56 NBA games.