Griffin, Paul Lead Clippers Past Pelicans, 114-96

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Blake Griffin had 27 points and 10 rebounds, Chris Paul had 17 points and 13 assists, and the Los Angeles Clippers beat the New Orleans Pelicans 114-96 on Friday night.

Jamal Crawford scored 21 points and Luc Mbah a Moute had 15 for Los Angeles, which capped a 10-day, six-game trip with victories on back-to-back nights on the shores of lakes Erie and Pontchartrain, having defeated Cleveland on Thursday night.

Anthony Davis hurt his right shoulder but played through it, scoring 21 points for New Orleans. E'Twaun Moore scored 15 points and Terrence Jones had 14 for the Pelicans, who have lost three of four and saw their home winning streak snapped at five.

The Clippers made 10 3-pointers, with Mbah a Moute hitting three. The Pelicans were 5 of 20 from long range.

Los Angeles opened a 15-point lead in the third quarter, when Griffin scored 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting. Griffin hit three 19-foot jumpers, another from 17 feet and a finger roll during a pivotal 17-5 surge. Paul assisted on three of those baskets.

New Orleans struggled to recover after that, getting no closer than 10 points on Davis' short basket as he was fouled by Brandon Bass with 7:14 left. Los Angeles, which shot 51.1 percent (45 of 88), then rebuilt its lead to 20 in the late stages of the game.

Davis spent the first part of the second quarter in the locker room having his right shoulder examined by trainers before returning to the game late in the period. Davis normally would have spent most of that time on the bench resting in a typical game, but his 11 points for the half represented less than his usual output. New Orleans held its own for the first 5 minutes Davis was out, taking a 44-35 lead on Terrence Jones' fast-break dunk, but the Clippers quickly surged in front after that.

Paul's passes set up jumpers by Crawford and Mbah a Moute, as well as Griffin's left corner 3, during a 12-2 run that gave Los Angeles a 47-46 lead. The Clippers' lead grew to seven in the period before Davis' steal and behind-the-back pass set up Moore's fast-break dunk. Jrue Holiday followed with a floater that was called good on a goal-tend in the final second of the half, trimming the Clippers' lead to 60-57.

TIP-INS

Clippers: Los Angeles wound up 3-3 on its road swing that began in Dallas on Nov. 23. ... Coach Doc Rivers gave starting shooting guard J.J. Redick, the team's third-leading scorer (16 points per game), the night off. Rivers has been periodically resting starters this season. ... Austin Rivers, who was drafted 10th overall by New Orleans in 2012 and traded in January 2015, missed eight of nine shots and finished with two points. ... Paul was called for a Flagrant 1 foul when he grabbed Jones' shoulder from behind to stop a break-away layup. Jones missed both free throws, and after New Orleans put the ball in play, Jones was stripped under the basket by Crawford.

Pelicans: Center Alexis Ajinca played 11 minutes, his most in eight games. Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry had not played Ajinca in six of New Orleans' previous seven games, and the 7-footer saw only 4 minutes last Sunday at Dallas. Against the Clippers, Ajinca had two points and three rebounds. ... New Orleans fell to 5-6 at home. ... First-round draft choice Buddy Hield played just the final 3 minutes, hitting both shots he attempted for four points.

UP NEXT

Clippers: Host Indiana on Sunday.

Pelicans: Visit Oklahoma City on Sunday.

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