Clippers Get a Sinking Feeling

Well, that was fun while it lasted. The Clippers’ season came to a figurative end, although not a literal one, with a 105-92 loss Saturday to the Utah Jazz before a sellout crowd of 19,513 at Staples Center.

Mathematically, the Clippers are still alive in their quest for a Western Conference playoff berth. There are eight games left on their schedule, including a rematch Wednesday with the Jazz at the Delta Center.

Realistically, though, they’re history after Saturday’s loss left them 41/2 games behind the Jazz in the battle for the eighth and final spot.

Predictably, no one waved a white towel in surrender in the Clipper camp at game’s end.

“It’s mostly mental at this point,� point guard Jeff McInnis said. “We’ve got to get it out of our minds. The season is not over yet.�

Said power forward Elton Brand: “We have to be prepared for Wednesday. We’re not giving up.�

Added Coach Alvin Gentry: “Until we’re mathematically eliminated, we’re going to play as if we have a chance to make the playoffs because we do.�

The Clippers faced an 80-71 deficit by the end of the third quarter. It could have been worse, but the way things had been going to that point, it was far from a workable deficit going into the fourth quarter.

The Clippers made one strong run at the Jazz, drawing within 89-84 when Earl Boykins made two free throws after John Stockton picked up his fifth foul with 5:26 remaining. Stockton stayed in the game and the Jazz maintained the lead.

In the end, it wasn’t so much that the Clippers failed. Utah simply excelled, particularly when it came to putting the ball in the basket. The Jazz made 41 of 75 shots (54.7%) and 20 of 21 free throws (95.2%).

When the need arose late, Stockton scored on a backdoor cut to the hoop, fed Greg Ostertag for a layup and hit a perimeter jump shot to hold off the Clippers. Stockton would score 16 points, one of six Utah players to have 10 or more points.

Michael Olowokandi led the Clippers with 28 points and Brand had 17 points and 11 rebounds for his 52nd double-double this season, two shy of Swen Nater’s franchise record set in 1980-81.

“They’re a tough team to play against,� Gentry said after the Clippers’ 13th consecutive loss to the Jazz. “They don’t make very many mistakes. They’re very efficient at what they do. They’ve been like that for 10 or 12 years. Stockton made plays down the stretch. Every time we got close, he made a big play.

“If we can learn anything from tonight, it’s that if you execute, if you do your job ... I mean, they’re an efficient team, very efficient.�

The Clippers faced a halftime deficit for the second consecutive night. Friday, they erased a 43-32 halftime deficit (after trailing by 18 in the second quarter) and defeated the Phoenix Suns, 96-94, on McInnis’ buzzer-beating jump shot.

Utah did what it always does when Stockton and Karl Malone are at their best, moving the ball around the court with remarkable speed and creating open shots.

After all these years, nobody has been able to stop them for any length of time. They bamboozled the Clippers repeatedly with the pick and roll, helping the Jazz build a 53-45 halftime lead.

“Stockton and Malone have played 1,000 games together,� Gentry said. “They probably know each other better than their wives. They are great players. They’re guys who will be in the Hall of Fame.�

Utah played with poise and precision, slowing the tempo and keeping the Clippers from getting the crowd revved up with the sort of highlight-reel plays the fans have grown accustomed to seeing at Staples.

Darius Miles did provide one such moment, catching a lob pass from McInnis and, with his back to the basket, slamming it through the hoop to give the Clippers a 35-30 lead early in the second quarter.

The Clipper lead was short-lived, however.

The Jazz outscored the Clippers, 23-10, the rest of the quarter. As part of that surge, the Jazz had runs of 7-0 and 9-0. The Clippers were blanked in the final 2:28.

“With eight games to go we’re in a tough situation,� Gentry said. “We have to fly to Utah and find a way to win the game. It doesn’t matter what happens, though. We’re not going to write off our season.�