LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Blake Griffin scored 27
points, hitting 11 of 15 free throws, and the Los Angeles Clippers
defeated the San Antonio Spurs 115-92 Monday night, 48 hours after
completing a seven-game road trip.
Chris Paul added 23 points, eight
rebounds and seven assists, and Jamal Crawford had 17 points in his
second straight start for the Clippers, who repelled several threats in
the third quarter to maintain their lead.
Tim Duncan had 17 points and 11 rebounds
for the Spurs, whose four-game winning streak ended. Tony Parker limped
off the court with a right shin contusion with 5:09 left in the third.
He finished with eight points and six assists in 26 minutes.
DeAndre Jordan added 11 rebounds and
Griffin had nine to help the Clippers control the boards, 43-36. Jared
Dudley had 14 points, including four 3-pointers.
Los Angeles went 4-3 on its road trip,
closing it out Saturday with a 113-97 victory over the Washington
Wizards. The Clippers didn't practice Sunday before facing off against
the Spurs, whose 19-5 record is third-best in the NBA.
San Antonio made one last run to open
the fourth, getting consecutive 3-pointers from Patty Mills and Danny
Green that drew the Spurs to 86-82.
The Clippers dominated the rest of the
way, stretching their lead to 106-86 during a 20-4 run that ended with
three 3-pointers in a row: one by Willie Green and two by Dudley.
Crawford put one last dagger in the
Spurs as he dribbled down the final seconds before casually popping a
deep 3 for the final basket.
The Clippers stretched their lead to
59-51 early in the third before the Spurs cut it to 59-58 after scoring
eight straight points.
Crawford, Griffin and Paul took over
the rest of the third, combining to score the Clippers' last 20 points
and stretch their lead to 78-70 going into the fourth. Crawford launched
the 20-12 run by hitting back-to-back 3-pointers.
The Spurs got within three points on a
layup by Manu Ginobili before Griffin scored six of the Clippers' next
eight points to extend their lead.
The Clippers trailed 28-21 after the
opening quarter before unleashing a 19-3 run to open the second. Green
bookended the spurt with 3-pointers, and in between five different
Clippers scored to give them a 40-31 lead. Griffin scored their final
eight points to send them into halftime leading 55-49.
NOTES:
Crawford started for the second straight game and just the second time
in 102 games with the team. ... Clippers F Stephen Jackson faced his old
team for the first time since the Spurs released him last April. He was
signed by the Clippers last week and had six points. ... Spurs coach
Gregg Popovich and some of the players, including Tony Parker, didn't
arrive until about an hour before game time. "The sunset was great over
Santa Monica, so we stayed a little longer," Popovich cracked.
