CLIPPERS MISS MARK IN LOSS TO BLAZERS : PORTLAND 82, CLIPPERS 74.

Byline: Gary Washburn Daily News Staff Writer

A month of training camp, seven exhibition games and two regular-season games and the Clippers are still having trouble with basics.

You can't get any more basic than putting the ball into the basket. The Clippers' inability to hit shots - some easy and wide open - cost them in an ugly 82-74 loss to Portland in front of a season-opening crowd of 12,898 at the Sports Arena.

The Clippers shot 32 percent, and made just 4 of 16 shots in the fourth quarter. That's when the Trail Blazers, missing guard Isaiah Rider to suspension, turned a 68-60 deficit into an eight-point lead.

The numbers are ugly. The Clippers didn't make field goal in the last 8:31 and were outscored 22-6 to end the game. Kenny Anderson, who always seems to kill the Clippers, scored eight of his 20 points in the final minutes to seal it.

This was supposed to be the Clippers' chance to prove they could beat a more physical team. The Blazers were definitely physical and strong, and the Clippers matched it for a while.

But when it counted, no one could hit a shot. Lorenzen Wright's layup missed. Darrick Martin's 3-pointer, clang. Brent Barry's jumper, brick. Nothing. And that's what the Clippers have in the win column after two games with division rivals.

``We had easy shots in the second half that we usually knock down,'' said Barry, who led the Clippers for the second straight game with 18 points. ``If we shoot the ball halfway decent, we win by 15.''

As bad as they shot, the Clippers still had numerous chances to win. The 0-2 start does not mean they won't make the playoffs, but the Clippers' key to making the postseason is winning games they're not supposed to.

Saturday was one of those chances. Portland did not play very well either, shooting 38 percent. Clippers coach Bill Fitch would have liked his team's chances if told Arvydas Sabonis would score just one more point than Stojko Vrankovic, and he did.

The Clippers played bump-and-run with Portland. A physical game is exactly what they needed to determine whether their offseason emphasis on getting tougher is working.

``We'll definitely know what we need to work on,'' Fitch said. ``I thought we played well against Phoenix (on Friday) except for some mistakes. I'd rather play these teams and at least see what our weaknesses are. That will help down the line.''

The Clippers tried to get tough with Portland, a team that has beaten them 12 of the last 14 games and four straight last season. Picking up Vrankovic and Keith Closs was supposed to help them in these cases, and it did for a while. But there's nothing Vrankovic or Closs can do when the guards don't hit outside shots.

Barry's new-found aggression excited the crowd and his nine rebounds were a career high. But missing 5 of 16 shots reminds Fitch very much of last year's Barry.

Darrick Martin's struggles are becoming a real concern. He slumped all of camp, but Fitch thought he would break out of it. Martin's started the first two games of his free-agent season hitting 3 of 19 shots.

The Clippers were without Eric Piatkowski, who missed his second game with an inner-ear infection. His status is day-to-day, even though he didn't even show up to the arena on Saturday.

That cost the club a dependable outside shooter, something it could have used in such a sub-par shooting game.

Portland provided an indication on whether the Clippers can compete in the paint with the bigger teams. Fitch even tried the rookie Closs, who made his first NBA appearance and scored one point.

They got outrebounded by the Blazers 51-41, which indicates the Clippers lost the physical battles.

`I don't think we rebounded very well against Phoenix and we outrebounded them,'' Fitch said. ``So if we make those mistakes, and aren't in the position we need to be, we will be in trouble against teams like Portland.''