CLIPPERS LOSE GRIP AGAINST NUGGETS\DENVER 115, CLIPPERS 95.

Byline: Aaron J. Lopez Associated Press 

The referees lost the game ball to a cheerleader. The Clippers lost it many more times to the Denver Nuggets.

The Clippers committed 17 turnovers and were never within 11 points through almost all the second half as they dropped their eighth straight game, 115-95 to the Nuggets on Thursday night.

With Denver leading by 19 after three quarters, the only suspense came when the officials lost track of the game ball to start the final period. The ball was not immediately recovered, and a new one was put into play.

Nuggets officials later identified the ball bandit as a cheerleader.

"We played a little better with the second ball after the first one was lost," said Clippers coach Bill Fitch. "We should have attempted that coup earlier."

Denver had a season-high 14 steals to beat the Clippers for the first time in four games this year.

"No doubt about it, we felt like we could beat this team every time, and we didn't" until Thursday, said Denver guard Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, who scored 28 points.

Dikembe Mutombo scored 18 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to move three away from 4,500. Don MacLean added 16 points, while Bryant Stith had 13, Jalen Rose 12 and Reggie Williams 10.

Loy Vaught scored 18 points to lead the Clippers, who shot 53 percent from the field in the first half.

The Clippers, whose last win was against Denver on Jan. 25, remain one victory away from matching last year's total of 17.

"Dikembe had a dream or something about this game, and they won," said Brian Williams, one of three players traded from Denver to the Clippers in April. "We just guaranteed we'd be on the court."

Notes: Clippers forward Rodney Rogers will fly to North Carolina this weekend to have his jersey No. 54 retired by Wake Forest University on Sunday after the Demon Deacons play Duke.