Clippers Fail to Contain Hardaway : Pro basketball: Guard fills void left by injured Shaquille O’Neal as Orlando wins, 114-105.

You know you’ve arrived in the NBA when they name a basketball shoe after you.

And Orlando Magic guard Anfernee Hardaway, who recently got his own line of basketball shoes, has arrived as the NBA’s premier point guard.

Hardaway, who has stepped up his game while all-star center Shaquille O’Neal recuperates from a thumb injury, scored 38 points, including 20 in the first half, as the Magic handed the Clippers their fifth loss in a row, 114-105, Tuesday night before an announced 8,199 at the Sports Arena.

The NBA’s third-leading scorer with a 26-point average going into the game, Hardaway made 13 of 19 shots and 10 of 14 free throws as the Magic (14-4) held off the Clippers to end a two-game losing streak. He also had five assists and two rebounds.

“I think he ought to change his name; he’s worth more than a penny,” Clipper Coach Bill Fitch said of Hardaway. “But as good as he was, they had some other players that were equally effective.”

Hardaway has now appeared in 22 games without O’Neal and has averaged 27 points, 6.5 assists and 5.4 rebounds. He has posted the three highest scoring games of his NBA career without O’Neal, getting 42 points against New Jersey on Nov. 8, 39 against the Chicago Bulls last February and 38 against the Clippers.

Although the Clippers (7-10) haven’t won in 13 days, they didn’t get blown out by the defending Eastern Conference champions.

Trailing by 13 points in the final quarter, the Clippers outscored the Magic, 20-5, to take a 96-94 lead when rookie guard Brent Barry, who scored a season-high 20 points, made two free throws with 5:50 remaining.

With the score tied, 96-96, after Hardaway made two free throws, the Clippers missed a chance to take a three-point lead when the officials ruled that Barry, who had 14 points in the fourth quarter, made a desperation three-point basket after the shot clock had expired with 5:01 remaining.

But the Magic ended the game with a 20-9 spurt to defeat the Clippers for the fourth game in a row. Although the Clippers stayed close, the difference was that the Magic had Hardaway to direct their offense down the stretch.

“He’s our go-to man,” Magic forward Horace Grant said of Hardaway. “He’s our floor leader out there. So goes Penny, so goes the Magic. He’s playing good basketball right now.”

Former Laker point guard Magic Johnson, who attended the game, thinks Hardaway may be out of position.

“I see him as more of a [shooting guard] than a [point guard],” Johnson said. “He’s a natural scorer. Not that he has to play [shooting guard], but he has [shooting guard] instincts rather than [point guard] instincts. He has more natural ability than I ever had.”

The Clippers assigned three players to cover Hardaway during the game. Guard Terry Dehere opened the game guarding Hardaway and Eric Piatkowski and Barry also were assigned to check him.

The Clippers didn’t do a good job of containing Hardaway, who ignited the crowd with several spectacular dunks.

Clipper center Brian Williams, who spent the first two years of his NBA career with Orlando, didn’t miss O’Neal.

“Should I?” said Williams, who had 17 points and 10 rebounds. “I’ll have my time to play against him. Every time he’s not out there, that’s another opportunity not to be on SportsCenter for the wrong reasons.”

Clipper Notes

The Clippers activated guard Pooh Richardson before the game. Richardson was put on the injured list before the start of the season because of a stress fracture in his left foot. Richardson was not in uniform for the game, however, because he’s not ready to play. He’s expected to return during the four-game Midwestern trip, which begins Thursday in Milwaukee.