Clippers Snap Lakers Winning Streak, 99-92
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Eric Gordon scored 30 points, Blake Griffin had 18 points and 15 rebounds after a foul-plagued start, and the Los Angeles Clippers snapped the Los Angeles Lakers' seven-game winning streak with a 99-92 victory Sunday.
Four players were ejected from this crosstown rivalry game after a scuffle under the basket with 5.7 seconds to play.
After Lamar Odom grabbed Griffin's jersey while fighting for a rebound, Baron Davis intervened and shoved Odom firmly in the chest, leading to more shoves. Odom, Griffin, Davis and Ron Artest all were ejected after the officials conferenced, a decision that visibly baffled Griffin and Artest.
Kobe Bryant had 27 points and nine rebounds, and Andrew Bynum added 18 points and 13 rebounds for the Lakers, who couldn't keep up with the young Clippers in the fourth quarter.
Davis had 14 points and eight assists as the surging Clippers won for the fourth time in five games with yet another strong performance against the NBA's elite. Four days after beating Miami, the Clippers trailed by 12 points late in the third quarter before making a 16-3 run in the final minutes, taking the lead with 4:09 left on Griffin's layup while getting fouled.
The Clippers limited Pau Gasol to 13 points and eight rebounds before he fouled out, stopping the Lakers' roll toward their second eight-game winning streak of the season. The Lakers lost for just the second time in 11 games since Bynum returned to their starting lineup.
The Staples Center crowd largely favored the Lakers, as usual when the clubs meet in their shared arena. But the Clippers still thrived in the final minutes for their ninth win in 13 games since a 5-21 start to the season.
The Clippers have played superbly against the NBA's best teams, also beating New Orleans and San Antonio when those clubs had the league's best record before stopping Miami.
Yet the Clippers are still stuck near the bottom of the Western Conference because of their propensity for following up big wins with awful defeats, such as last Friday's loss to Golden State following Wednesday's win over the Heat.
Griffin broke Swen Nater's franchise record for consecutive double-doubles a week ago, but committed three fouls in the first half against the Lakers and didn't find a rhythm until late in the third quarter.
The rookie swiftly reached double digits in points and rebounds for the 26th straight game early in the fourth, but his streak of 14 straight games with at least 20 points ended.
The Lakers got to spend the long holiday weekend at home after winning seven games in an 11-day stretch. Bryant scored 14 points in the third quarter on a dazzling array of fallaway jumpers and drives, but the Lakers lost steam in the fourth.
Notes: The teams played a Sunday matinee because both have home games on the Monday holiday. ... Bynum got his third technical foul in the past week late in the third quarter for arguing with referee
Sean Wright. ... Mariners OF Milton Bradley, a Los Angeles-area native who attended Long Beach Poly High School, watched the game from courtside. The Dodgers' Matt Kemp sat right next to the Lakers' bench.
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