Blake Griffin leads Los Angeles Clippers to 100-92 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers
Blake Griffin scored a game-high 30 points as the Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 100-92 at Staples Centre on Saturday night. The victory snapped the Clipper’s nine-game losing streak to the Cavaliers.
In addition to the 30-point blitz, rookie forward Griffin pulled down eight assists and as many rebounds.
The 22-year-old guard Eric Gordon rejoined the Clippers squad after missing six consecutive games of the 2010-11 season due to a right wrist injury. Gordon got his sizzling shooting-touch back and scored 29 points, grabbed five assists and hit six three-pointers.
Gordon did not seem bothered by the wrist injury at all as he said, "I really tried to play with no restrictions. I tried not to pay attention to it. If it gets knocked or banged, or if I land on the floor wrong like I did the other two times, it is what
it is. But I've just got to keep on going out there and playing."
Forward Craig Smith came off the bench with 12 points while guard Mo Williams added 11 points in the Clippers second consecutive victory. J.J. Hickson chipped in with a team-high 28 points and also pulled down four assists and five rebounds in the defeat.
Ramon Sessions posted 18 points and seven assists, while Samardo Samuels ended with 17 points for the Cavaliers, who lost their second straight game.
Match Analysis
The Clippers went on a 5-0 run in the first two minutes of the opening quarter to take the initial lead. Cleveland then got it going offensively halfway through the quarter, taking a 28-25 lead into the second.
The Clippers came out strongly in the second quarter as they converted the three-point deficit into a 54-50 advantage at half time.
Los Angeles extended their lead to 62-54 with nine minutes to go in the third quarter. The Staples Centre was rocking as the Cavaliers cut the Clippers' lead to three with a 5-0 surge midway through the third. Los Angeles managed to take an 82-78 edge into
the final stanza courtesy of nine points from Gordon.
The Cavaliers made a couple more runs in the fourth quarter, but the Clippers responded each time and walked away with a hard-fought 100-92 victory.
The game’s leading scorer, Griffin said that the win was the result of a good team effort, and he also praised the way Gordon played on the night. He stated, “Everybody was playing as a team today. When Eric Gordon plays he really opens up the court. This
was definitely a game we wanted to get."
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