Los Angeles Clippers tame the San Antonio Spurs 106-84: NBA Recap
Off to the best start (4-0) in their franchise history, the San Antonio Spurs entered the Staples Center on Wednesday night to take on team which they demolished in last Western Conference semifinals and against whom; they held
a 24-4 away record.
That team was the Los Angeles Clippers and it was hungry for some vengeance. That they did get, on the back of double-doubles from DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin for a 106-84 win.
Playing with a neck strain, Griffin paced the Clips with 22 points and 10 rebounds while Jordan scored 20 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead six Clippers in double scoring figures. Chris Paul was his sensational self with 10
points and 12 assists, while Eric Bledsoe continued to impress with 15 points on a 50 percent shooting from the floor. Matt Barnes had 12 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals in nearly 27 minutes while Jordan Crawford added 10 off the bench.
The Clippers shot 46 of 83 (55.4 percent) from the field and only missed one of their 9 free throws. They also got a hold on their turnover problem. After committing 13 in the first half of last game against the Cleveland Cavaliers,
they just had 6 this time around, and ended the game with a total of 15. The Spurs had 20 in comparison and the Clips made sure to cash on majority of them with highlight moves.
In what was an off colour night for them, the Spurs shot just 41.1 percent and were also slaughtered on the glass. They were outrebounded 46-29 and outscored 54-32 in the paint. Only two of their players made into double scoring
figures on the night and that too barely. Danny Green scored 12 points while Tim Duncan added 10 for the Spurs, who are now 4-1.
The Spurs has the early momentum but six consecutive shots from 7:11 to 4:27 in the first quarter gave the Clippers at 15-11 lead. The Clips never trailed after that and were up by six at the end of the first 12 minutes. They extended
their advantage to 11 on a Matt Barnes three inside four minutes of the frame, but the Spurs fought back with an 8-2 run and when the first half ended, they only trailed by 6, 47-41.
The Spurs continued to score after the break, but the Clips were super hot. They made 8 of their next 9 attempts and extended their lead to 12. Near the end of the third quarter, that lead swelled to 20 points and that was how
the team went into the final quarter, scores being 82-62.
The Spurs tried to force their way back into the game with an 11-2 run at the start of the fourth, but the Clips blew the game away with a 20-3 response and secure their third win of the season.
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