LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Blake Griffin had 15
points and 13 rebounds, and Chris Paul had 15 points and seven assists
before leaving with a strained right hamstring in the Los Angeles
Clippers' 93-80 victory over the plummeting New York Knicks on Wednesday
night.
J.J. Redick also scored 15 points as the
Clippers comfortably finished their eighth win in 10 games despite
losing their superstar point guard late in the third quarter when Paul
hobbled to the locker room favoring his right leg.
Darren Collison and Jamal Crawford capably handled playmaking duties while the Clippers ran away in the fourth quarter.
Carmelo Anthony scored 27 points and
Andrea Bargnani had 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Knicks, who have
lost seven straight to drop to 3-11.
Raymond Felton had 12 points and seven
assists in his return to the Knicks' starting lineup after four-game
absence with an injured lower back and left hip, but New York still
hasn't won since Nov. 13 in Atlanta.
The offense-challenged Knicks couldn't
score for a 3:40 stretch of the final minutes, and they managed just one
basket in the final 4 1/2 minutes despite holding the Clippers to only
three points in that same time period.
New York missed 17 of its 20 3-point shots, and the Clippers shot 31 free throws to the Knicks' 15.
Crawford scored eight of his 13 points
in the fourth quarter for the Clippers, who keep stacking up victories
while integrating their new additions -- including Redick, who hit three
3-pointers. Los Angeles also improved to 8-1 at Staples Center.
Metta World Peace got an indifferent
reaction in his first appearance at Staples Center since the Lakers
released him under the NBA's amnesty provision last summer. World Peace,
who won a title with the Lakers in 2010, went scoreless on 0-for-6
shooting, including four missed 3-point attempts.
The Clippers made an early 30-10 run
largely sparked by their bench, which had 20 points in the first half.
The Knicks scored 13 straight points late in the half, but Los Angeles
led 49-45 at halftime with scoring from 10 players.
Anthony, the NBA's second-leading
scorer, and Bargnani kept the Knicks in it, scoring 35 of their 45
points. The much-criticized Bargnani had 16 points and seven rebounds.
J.R. Smith's basket trimmed the
Clippers' lead to 74-70 in the opening minute of the fourth quarter, but
the Clippers scored the next nine points.
NOTES:
The Knicks will attempt to avoid their first eight-game skid since
February 2010 when they wrap up their four-game road trip at Denver on
Friday night. ... World Peace and Clippers F Antawn Jamison guarded each
other at times in the second half. They were teammates last season with
the Lakers. Jamison had six points in his second straight appearance
for the Clippers after sitting out their first 14 games.
