Clippers Rout Spurs, 115-92
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.
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