Clippers buck up just in time

MILWAUKEE —  Often losing focus for long stretches in games, squandering big leads and rarely finishing well wouldn’t seem to be the path to the postseason, but that’s the one the Clippers might travel.

Although they’ve infuriated their fans this season, the Clippers occupy the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference after blowing a 22-point third-quarter lead and then rallying in the final seconds to defeat the Milwaukee Bucks, 104-103, Wednesday night in front of 14,113 at the Bradley Center.

Jason Hart scored on a runner with three seconds remaining as the Clippers reclaimed the lead from the Bucks, whose stunning fourth-quarter performance led to their three-point lead with under one minute to play. Fortunately for the Clippers, they rediscovered their defense at the end.

Trying to inbound the ball on the Bucks’ final possession, Charlie Bell couldn’t get it to Michael Redd, who was guarded by Quinton Ross on the wing, or Ruben Patterson, who was double-teamed by Corey Maggette and Hart in the post.

Bell found Brian Skinner on the right side of the lane near the free-throw line, but Elton Brand impeded Skinner’s progress and he couldn’t get a handle on the ball as time expired. The Clippers escaped with a victory that didn’t seem in doubt through three quarters, and in the process moved half a game ahead of the Golden State Warriors in the race for the conference’s final playoff berth.

The Clippers (32-36) also finished 3-3 on their final long trip of the regular season, though they had envisioned a stronger closing act after leading by 19 points to begin the fourth quarter against the Bucks (25-42), who were playing without three injured post players.

“The game seemed like it was over when we were up 19, but our intensity wasn’t up, and they knocked down some big shots,” said Brand, who scored 21 points. “The important thing is that we got the victory and it was a good trip.”

Coach Mike Dunleavy was displeased with the Clippers’ approach for most of the final quarter, but he liked how things ended.

“Overall, I’m obviously pleased about the end result, but not the way we ended up getting there,” Dunleavy said. “We had a 19-point lead going into the fourth quarter and our guys relaxed.”

Redd, who scored a game-high 27 points, scored 14 points in the fourth quarter as Milwaukee outscored the Clippers, 32-14. The Clippers missed 12 of 17 shots in the quarter.

“The last three or four minutes, we just didn’t play well, we didn’t capitalize on possessions,” Maggette said. “But we got the win and finished 3-3 on the trip. That’s what I’m happy about.”

Bell’s three-point basket with 1 minute 13 seconds to go gave the Bucks a 101-100 lead -- their first since early in the first quarter -- and capped a 30-10 run. Milwaukee went ahead, 103-100, on Skinners’ two free throws with 58.6 seconds left.

Maggette, who led the Clippers with 22 points off the bench, scored on a quick layup to cut the Clippers’ deficit to 103-102, and then missed a jumper on the team’s next possession. Hart grabbed the rebound, drove the baseline on the right side and put up a shot that bounced in.

TV replays appeared to indicate that Brand touched the ball while it was in the cylinder, but he was not called for offensive interference.

“I don’t know if I touched it, we’ll have to go to the videotape. All I know is that the ball went in and we got the victory,” Brand said. “We’re going back home, so we’ve got to protect that eighth seed and try to get up to seventh.”

jason.reid@latimes.com