Clippers Beat Celtics 102-93 For 8th Win In 11 Games
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Blake Griffin scored 22 points, DeAndre Jordan had 19 points and 12 rebounds, and the Los Angeles Clippers held off the Boston Celtics 102-93 Monday after losing most of a 23-point lead.
J.J. Redick and reserve Jamal Crawford added 16 points each in Los Angeles' eighth win in 11 games. Griffin came up one rebound short of a double-double in helping the Clippers improve to 4-1 against the Celtics in their last five meetings.
Boston's bench provided most of its offense, with Brandon Bass scoring a leading 17 points, Marcus Thornton adding 15 and Marcus Smart 14. Jared Sullinger (14) and Evan Turner (10) were the only starters in double figures.
Tayshaun Prince scored the Celtics' last basket while playing 20 minutes in his debut after being traded from Memphis last week.
Thornton's 3-pointer drew the Celtics to 91-88 with under four minutes to play. It was Boston's fifth 3 of the quarter. The Clippers kept Boston at bay from the free throw line, making 6 of 10 to end the game. Griffin hit all four of his attempts, while Jordan was just 1 of 4.
Turner turned the ball over on an inbounds play, wasting a possession with 1 1/2 minutes to go.
Boston reduced its 23-point deficit to eight on Smart's second 3-pointer of the fourth. He and Kelly Olynk combined to score the Celtics' first 13 points of the quarter against the Clippers' reserves.
That forced Clippers coach Doc Rivers to gradually bring back all of the starters to finish off a victory.
Jordan, Griffin and Redick combined to power a 24-11 run that opened the third, extending the Clippers' lead to 71-48 -- their largest of the game. Griffin scored 10, including their first six, Jordan added eight and Redick hit a pair of 3-pointers.
Bass keyed the Celtics' offense over the final 3:35, when they outscored the Clippers 14-3 to trail 74-62 heading into the fourth. He had eight points, scoring their final seven in a row to go with 3-pointers from Smart and Thornton.
TIP-INS
Celtics: They fell to 0-4 against the West to start the trip. ... Boston is 4-13 on the road and has lost three in a row away from home as well as 12 of its last 15.
Clippers: Reserve F Glen Davis addressed the crowd before the game on the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. "We all know what he stood for, so I want you to point to your neighbor and say, `I love you and go Clippers!"'
UP NEXT
Celtics: At Portland on Thursday.
Clippers: Host Brooklyn on Thursday.
(© Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
