Jamal Crawford scored 25 points, Chris Paul had 23 and the Los Angeles Clippers beat the Detroit Pistons 104-98 on Wednesday night.
Blake Griffin added 15 points, seven rebounds and seven assists for the Clippers, who outscored the Pistons 32-25 in the final period. Crawford, one of the NBA's top reserves, and Paul combined for 31 points in the second half.
D.J. Augustin scored 19 points for the Pistons, who have lost six in a row. Andre Drummond had 17 points and 13 rebounds.
Detroit used its one consistent strength - rebounding - to build a slim 51-48 halftime lead. The Pistons outrebounded the Clippers 24-17 in the half, including a 7-2 edge on the offensive glass. Drummond had 12 points and seven boards at the break.
Paul got more involved in the third quarter, scoring 14 points, but Detroit still led 73-72 going into the fourth. Crawford gave Paul a rest early in the fourth and kept things going, scoring five straight points to put Los Angeles up 81-75.
The Clippers increased their lead to 11 with Paul still on the bench, with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope struggling to guard Crawford. Detroit finally adjusted, and Josh Smith's layup cut the lead to 93-91 with 2:39 to play.
Griffin answered with a dunk for Los Angeles, and after a Pistons miss, Paul knocked down a 3-pointer to make it a seven-point game. Crawford applied the finishing touches, blocking a Caldwell-Pope shot before hitting a 3 at the other end.
Gallery: Reasons to be thankful for the Los Angeles Clippers
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TIP-INS
Clippers: Coach Doc Rivers got involved in the action in the second quarter. He jumped onto the court to avoid Pistons rookie Spencer Dinwiddie, who was trying to save a loose ball. Unfortunately for the Pistons, Dinwiddie's backhanded flip hit Rivers and bounced out of bounds, giving the Clippers the ball. ... Glen Davis showed surprising athletic ability, vaulting a courtside advertising board while pursuing a rebound.
Pistons: Detroit had a distinct advantage in fouls early, only being called for one in the first quarter while Los Angeles picked up eight, but Smith and Kyle Singler still picked up first-half technicals for arguing calls. . Brandon Jennings missed his second straight game with a sprained left thumb.
UP NEXT
Clippers: At Houston on Friday.
Pistons: Host Milwaukee on Friday.
