Bullets Go Long, Beat Clippers : Pro basketball: Washington makes seven of 10 three-point shots and scores a 118-109 victory.

LANDOVER, Md. â€”  The NBA’s third-worst three-point shooting team, the Clippers have defended three-point shots about as poorly as they have shot them, and Saturday night it cost them a victory.

The Washington Bullets made seven of 10 three-point shots, including four in the fourth quarter, and defeated the Clippers, 118-109, before 15,330 at the US Air Arena.

It was the 15th time this season that the Clippers have given up more than five three-point shots in a game.

“Everybody shoots (three-point shots) well against us,� Clipper Coach Bob Weiss said. “It’s not that we don’t try to defend it. . . . They had to shoot them quick. It wasn’t that we were standing there aiming at them. You can’t shoot seven out of 10 in practice most of the time with nobody on you.�

With the score 107-107, Bullet guard Rex Chapman made a three-point shot with 3:13 remaining to trigger an 11-2 run. Chapman, who had a team-high 25 points, made all three three-pointers he attempted, including two in the last quarter, as the Bullets scored their third consecutive victory.

Clipper guard Ron Harper did a good job defensively on Chapman in a 109-92 victory over the Bullets last month, limiting him to 12 points. But Chapman, who missed eight of 12 shots against the Clippers last month, made nine of 19 shots and scored 14 points as the Bullets outscored the Clippers, 31-23, in the fourth quarter.

“I thought we played a good ballgame, but that three-pointer by Chapman broke our backs,� Weiss said. “Ron Harper tried to pay special attention to him all night long. He did a good job on him when we played them at home, so we tried to do the same things.

“We might have switched too many times, but if he’s that hot, he’s going to score because he can get a shot off from anywhere. He’s that quick off the screen.�

Playing without forward Danny Manning, who sat out the game because of a sprained left ankle, the Clippers didn’t make a field goal in the final 4:03, missing their last four shots.

“A lot of our go-to offense is Danny Manning,� Weiss said. “He also gives us a lot (of points) on the break, so it was a major adjustment. I thought they did a terrific job (without) Manning.�

Harper scored a game-high 26, making 11 of 22 shots, and Mark Aguirre, who didn’t play in Friday night’s 102-95 victory at Boston, had 23 points in 38 minutes as a reserve.

Although the Clippers (12-22) have lost 12 of their last 15 games, they didn’t quit as they had during their recent seven-game losing streak, taking a three-point halftime lead after falling behind by 13 points in the first quarter.

“We’re not having critical lapses, and when we do they’re two minutes instead of being a quarter,� Aguirre said. “And that’s progress.�

Guard Mark Jackson, who averaged only 5.6 points in the previous five games, scored 17 points. Jackson, who had shot only 41.2% in his previous six games, made six of 13 shots, including two of four three-point shots.

“I’m not in a funk,� Jackson said. “I haven’t been shooting the ball, but if you look at my numbers, I think the assists and rebounds have been consistent, but I haven’t been looking for my shot.

“I’m not a guy who’s going to be like (Phoenix Sun guard Kevin Johnson) or (injured Golden State guard Tim) Hardaway or those guys that put up shots every night.

“I still feel I’m the same player, but it’s just not as much fun because we’re losing. People say ‘Hey, you’re not doing the shake (to celebrate good plays) and you’re not excited,’ but I’m not excited over one play, I’m excited over a team doing good--and when you’re eight or nine games under .500, there’s nothing to be jumping around and doing the shake about.�