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Five takeaways from the Clippers’ 111-90 victory over New Orleans

Clippers forward Lance Stephenson grabs control of a loose ball in front of Pelicans forward Alonzo Gee in the first half of a game Friday, Nov. 27.

Clippers forward Lance Stephenson grabs control of a loose ball in front of Pelicans forward Alonzo Gee in the first half of a game Friday, Nov. 27.

(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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The Clippers can only hope it was a sign of things to come. They routed the New Orleans Pelicans, 111-90, on Friday night at Staples Center, finally looking like the team many expected them to be.

Here are five takeaways from the game:

1. The starters and reserves put together a complete game

The plus-minus stats were nearly positive across the board as the Clippers starters built a lead and the reserves maintained it. The starters were able to sit out the entire fourth quarter as a result, getting much-needed rest during a busy portion of the schedule. Blake Griffin had 20 points, DeAndre Jordan grabbed 11 rebounds and Chris Paul had 17 points and eight assists — all in only three quarters.

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Austin Rivers (17 points), Josh Smith (12 rebounds) and Lance Stephenson (10 points, five rebounds, four assists) all made big contributions off the bench. “As far as putting a complete game together,” Griffin said, “I think that was a much better showing.”

2. J.J. Redick got some shots to fall

Coming off one of the worst performances of his NBA career, the shooting guard scored 20 points on eight-for-14 shooting. Redick acknowledged afterward that he was struggling to regain his conditioning after missing 3 1/2 games because of back spasms and enduring a tough stretch of travel that included back-to-backs involving stops in Portland and Denver.

“Let me just say this: Having a back-to-back in Portland and Denver is like the two worst places to have a back-to-back,” Redick said. “I think anyone who was on that trip will agree with that. That’s completely different than playing in New York and Philadelphia the next night or Golden State and L.A. the next night. Those flights are ridiculous.

“So we had those two, we had Thanksgiving [on Thursday] — I’m certainly not going to leave the turkey on its own — we have a back-to-back Sunday and Monday. I would like to find some time to do some sprints. It’s just not there right now, so I’m going to have to work myself back into shape in games, and when the time comes, do a little extra.”

3. Lance Stephenson’s energy was a huge boost

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The small forward was a blur of activity in the first half, diving on the court to corral a loose ball, lunging to save a potential turnover and whipping a no-look pass to Rivers for a layup.

Stephenson finished the first half playing alongside the starters after initially coming off the bench to replace Wesley Johnson. He had 10 points, five rebounds and four assists in 26 minutes, making the kind of all-around impact the Clippers need.

“He was trying to do energy plays — rebound, make plays, go downhill, make plays for everybody else, keep the game simple,” Clippers Coach Doc Rivers said. “When he does that, I think he is terrific for our team, and overall, I thought he did it most of the game.”

4. Jamal Crawford is in the No. 100 spot on the NBA’s all-time scorer’s list

His nine points allowed him to surpass Juwan Howard. He has 16,162 points in his career and needs only two to edge Andre Miller (16,163) for No. 99.

“It’s pretty cool,” Crawford said, “but it doesn’t happen without great teammates, great coaches, and I think it’s a team effort, accomplishing something like that.”

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Rivers joked that he thought Crawford, a 16-year veteran, was much higher on the list. “I thought he was like 30th. I really did,” the coach said. “I thought he was better than that. No, that’s pretty impressive. You think about a guy that high, and he’s come off the bench for 98% of his career, it’s pretty impressive.”

5. The Clippers need to finish their six-game homestand strong

They have opened with one loss and one victory, with four games left. But those games are not exactly gimmes. Minnesota and Orlando are both .500 — same as the Clippers — Indiana is one of the biggest surprises in the Eastern Conference and Portland already has defeated the Clippers, who will depart on a five-game trip after the conclusion of the homestand.

“The biggest thing for us is winning these games at home and setting ourselves up because when you go on a five-game East Coast swing, things happen,” Redick said. “Those games are always tough, so we have to take care of business over the next week.”

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