clarinews@clarinet.com (JOE DiGIOVANNI) (01/13/90)
MILWAUKEE (UPI) -- Ron Harper scored 23 points and Charles Smith added 22 Friday night to give the Los Angeles Clippers a 95-94 victory over Milwaukee, snapping the Bucks four-game winning streak. Paul Pressey missed a 15-foot jumper from the free throw line at the buzzer that would have given the Bucks the victory. Harper sank two free throws with 1:10 left to give the Clippers a 95-92 lead. Ricky Pierce, who scored 25 points for Milwaukee, then missed a three-point attempt. Los Angeles failed to score and Pressey canned a 15-foot baseline jumper to pull the Bucks within 95-94 with 25 seconds left. Harper was then called for an offensive foul with 19 seconds remaining but Pressey's shot at the buzzer fell off the rim, giving the Clippers a 5-2 mark on their road trip. The Bucks had won eight straight against the Clippers and Los Angeles had not won in Milwaukee since 1980. Pierce hit a three-pointer and Jeff Grayer followed with a layin to pull Milwaukee within 87-84 with 5:45 left. Pierce then hit two free throws and scored on a fastbreak layin with 1:58 remaining to pull the Bucks within 93-92. Milwaukee pulled within 59-55 on an 8-2 run capped by Fred Roberts' layin with 8:03 left in the third quarter. Joe Wolf's layin with 8 seconds left gave the Clippers a 79-73 lead after three quarters. Los Angeles, which led 26-20 after one quarter, opened a 47-33 lead on Smith's layup with 4:29 left in the first half. The Bucks, who shot 37.3 percent in the first half, cut the margin to 54-43 at intermission on Pressey's two free throws with 1 second remaining.