76ERS TOP HAPLESS CLIPPERS 117-103 PRO BASKETBALL

The Philadelphia 76erss are acting a little like “Rappin” Joe Piscopo in that beer commerical right now – “Don’t stop us now, we’re on a roll.”

Philly made it three straight at the Spectrum as its’ own “Round Mound” – Charles Barkley – exploded for 17 of his game-high 27 points in a dynamic third quarter to key a 117-103 nod over the San Diego Clippers before a cozy gathering of 8,045 fans that sought shelter from the frightful weather outside.

Those faithful were rewarded with a crackling contest that featured inspired play from both sides.

Philadelphia got major contributions from just about everybody as seven men reached double figures.

The Sixers were sizzling in the third period as they erupted for 38 points to turn a 55-54 halftime deficit into a 92-78 lead they’d coast in on.

Barkley, who missed most of the second quarter with an ankle injury, went on a rampage in the third quarter, scoring 10 of Philly’s 12 unanswered points that started when the two sides were tied at 73.

Barkley even got into the rap mood by ending his self-inflicted silence.

“Okay guys, I’ll give you the ankle story,” said Barkley, who pulled down 13 rebounds. “I came down on somebody’s foot. It hurt right away, but it hasn’t swelled up yet. I really won’tknow how bad it is until tomorrow. It’s sore, but I think I’ll be fine.”

Barkley, who suffered the injury with 2:18 to go in the first quarter, showed no effects of the injury in the scintillating third period.

“We got our fast break going, that was the key,” said Barkley. “You have to keep the game speeded up against them.”

Barkley got help from Cliff Robinson, who popped in 8 of his 23; Roy Hinson, who snaked inside for some finger rolls reminiscent of vintage Dr. J; and Gerald Henderson, who brought the house down with a Meadowlark Lemon hook from near halfcourt for a three-pointer after a steal as the horn sounded to end the quarter.

“After watching Charles and Cliff put up some strange shots, I’m optimistic about anything going in,” grinned Henderson, who finished with 13 points, three steals and three assists.

“I think Gerald had a rabbit’s foot with him on that one,” said Robinson. “He sure had a lot of luck on that one. A lot of luck.”

Philly coach Matt Guokas gave Henderson a lot of credit for turning the defensive pressure up a notch in the decisive third period.

“Gerald and Maurice (Cheeks) turned it up a notch. They made things happen. When they play D like that the front court guys also become active. It allows Charles to become more active back there, gambling for steals. Once Charles got us on the break he made a lot of nice things happen.”

“Our defense was a real key,” Henderson said. “Let’s face it, they’re not one of the better teams in the league (8-21). They were cruising and we weren’t being aggressive. We wanted to see how they’d do under a little stress. You can never overestimate anyone.”

Before you start plotting your vacation time to coincide with the NBA finals, however, consider this: the Clippers have never won here since they relocated on the West Coast from Buffalo. The streak is now 18 since the then Braves notched a 92-87 verdict on Halloween, 1975.

San Diego has dropped a season-high nine in a row overall, eight straight on the road (another high) and 11 of the last 12.

Philly’s win put them back at .500 (15-15) and salvaged a season’s split with the Clippers, who eked out an 88-85 triumph Dec. 2.

The win spoiled the latest homecoming of former Sixers coach and color analyst Gene Shue, who was Philly’s coach when Buffalo-San Diego last prevailed in Philly.

Shue was the ringmaster here when Fitz Dixon’s circus included Chocolate Thunder from Lovetron (Darryl Dawkins), JellyBean (Joe Bryant), The Prince of Mid-Air (Lloyd Free), a Big Mac Attack (George McGinnis) and the original Skywalker (Julius Erving).

The only problem Shue had was there was only one basketball to go around for all of those free spirits.

Ironically, Shue was in town for a promotion that saw 6,000 basketballs being given away to youngsters.

“We were controlling the pace, then the Sixers just exploded on us,” said Shue. “It all started with a couple of three-pointers in the span of three minutes. I think the Sixers played a fantastic game. I was encouraged with the way we played, and we did some real good things out there. We’re coming along, and I think we have a good team.”

“I’m starting to feel more comfortable here, despite all of these ice packs I need after a game,” kidded Hendersosn, whois nursing a bad back and hip. “I’m learning the plays, getting my rhythmn and timing down. Things are coming more natural right now. I’m getting a lot of playing timeright now since we only have three guards. I want to be productive and get the job done. We need some victories, we have to keep getting the job done.”

“Gene Shue’s teams always control the tempo. They did a real nice job on the offensive boards in the first half and they were lulling us to sleep. We kept saying we’ve got to stay with these guys. We worked harder on defense in the third quarter and that helped us sustain things. It was a big win for us. That’s three in a row for us, one more and we’ll be feeling real good. We’re thankful that we’re staying healthy right now and guys are coming back.”

Mike Woodson and Darnell Valentine each collected 11 first-half points as the Clips showed some respectability.

Valentine blistered the Sixers from Three-Point Land in the third quarter to keep things interesting for a while.

Valentine led S.D. with 19 points, while Michael Cage had 17.

Originally Published: January 9, 1988 at 5:00 AM EST