Griffin Leads Clippers Over Timberwolves, 127-101
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Blake Griffin and J.J. Redick each scored 23 points before sitting out the fourth quarter, and the Los Angeles Clippers returned from the most successful road trip in franchise history with a 127-101 rout Monday night of the Minnesota Timberwolves.
DeAndre Jordan had 13 rebounds and 11 points for the Clippers, who won their fifth in a row after their 6-1 trip and beat Minnesota for the 10th straight time.
Shabazz Muhammad had 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Timberwolves, who beat the Lakers 120-119 at Staples Center just three nights earlier with the help of a missed three-point shot by Kobe Bryant at the final horn.
Andrew Wiggins, the first overall pick in the draft, scored all 14 of his points in the first half. Ex-Clippers point guard Mo Williams, playing for his third club in three seasons since leaving Los Angeles, had seven points and seven assists.
The Clippers dominated the final three quarters against an injury-riddled Minnesota squad that was missing three of its starters. Leading scorer Kevin Martin missed his sixth game with a fractured right wrist that will sideline him indefinitely.
Center Nikola Pekovic, who had a career-high 34 points against the Clippers last December at Staples Center, sat out his seventh straight game with a sprained right wrist. Point guard Ricky Rubio has missed 11 games with a sprained left ankle and backup center Ronny Turiaf has missed eight games with a sore right hip.
Redick scored 17, Griffin and reserve center Spencer Hawes each scored 11 to give the Clippers a 65-50 halftime lead. They trailed by six after a three-point play by Muhammad 16 seconds into the second quarter. But Hawes ignited a 25-4 run with a pair of 3-point shots and Griffin capped it with a pair of free throws to give Los Angeles a 56-41 lead with 3:16 left in the half.
The Clippers broke it open with a 23-3 surge during a 6:20 span of the third. Coach Doc Rivers sat all of his starters in the fourth as did Timberwolves coach Flip Saunders.
Redick had two 4-point plays. The first came at with 7:46 left in the first quarter after he was fouled by Corey Brewer. The second one came with 5:32 left in the third after Williams fouled him, extending the Clippers' margin to 86-59. Redick has made at least one 3-pointer in 23 straight games, tying the Lakers' Nick Young for the league's second-longest active streak behind Orlando's Evan Fournier (24).
TIP-INS
Timberwolves: F Jeff Adrien played 13 minutes, getting seven points and six rebounds in his first game with the club. He signed as a free agent on Saturday, after the NBA granted the T-Wolves a hardship exception because of all the injuries. This is his fifth team in five NBA seasons. ... Rookie G Zach LaVine scored all 10 of his points in the fourth quarter, after playing 4 1/2 scoreless minutes over the first three. The former UCLA product played 11 scoreless minutes Sunday at Portland after getting a season-high 28 points in 25 1/2 minutes against the Lakers — 18 of them in the second quarter.
Clippers: Their winning streak against Minnesota is one game shy of the franchise record for consecutive wins against any team. They won 11 straight against Dallas from April 1992 through March 1994, and will attempt to extend their 11-game streak against Utah on Dec. 29 at Staples Center. ... Griffin was named Western Conference player of the week for the fifth time in his career on Monday. ... Jordan had a career-high 24 rebounds the last time the Clippers faced Minnesota last March 31. ... The Clippers' 12.1 point differential over their opponents during the road trip set an NBA record for a road trip of at least seven games.
UP NEXT
Timberwolves: Host Philadelphia on Wednesday.
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