Griffin Leads Clippers Over Timberwolves, 127-101
LOS ANGELES (AP) — J.J. Redick can shoot 3-pointers with the best of them, and Monday night he added a pair of four-point plays to his repertoire to help the Los Angeles Clippers' rout of the Minnesota Timberwolves 127-101.
Redick and Blake Griffin each scored 23 points before sitting out the fourth quarter, and the Clippers returned from the most successful road trip in franchise history with a blowout victory.
"When J.J. is getting shots, it means we are getting great ball movement," coach Doc Rivers said. "J.J.'s a great shooter and he hasn't forgotten how to shoot. Eventually the ball is going to go in. And now it's finally starting to go in for him."
Redick's first four-point play came 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 ex-Clipper Mo Williams fouled him, extending the Clippers' margin to 86-59.
"He learned that from Jamal," said Rivers, referring to Crawford's NBA-record 42 4-point plays in the regular season. "The good shooters get shots. J.J. runs so fast sometimes, it's hard to shoot at that speed. But I think he's starting to figure out his pace again."
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).
"As a shooter, you want to see your first couple of shots go in," Redick said. "Tonight it was my first four shots. It just gives me confidence."
DeAndre Jordan had 13 rebounds and 11 points for the Clippers, who won their fifth in a row following their 6-1 trip and beat Minnesota for the 10th straight time.
Shabazz Muhammad had 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Timberwolves.
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 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 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.
"Our bench was one of our strengths earlier in the year, and that's changed," coach Flip Saunders said. "When your bench guys are now your starters, and the guys that were your inactive guys and now playing off the bench, you can't just come out and think you are going to play the way good teams in this league play. So what has to happen is that we've got to slow the game down."
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.
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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.
Clippers: The10-game 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. ... 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.
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