It’s a matter of survival for Clippers in 101-94 victory over Knicks
Clippers guard Chris Paul (3) tries to drive past Knicks forward Kristaps Porzingis (6) during the first half Friday night at Staples Center.
Make it a double-double. Or double figures.
The Clippers needed six players to score in double figures to defeat the New York Knicks for the eighth consecutive time.
Led by double-doubles from Chris Paul and DeAndre Jordan and a big-time three-pointer from J.J. Redick, the Clippers pulled out a 101-94 victory Friday night at Staples Center.
Paul had 24 points and 15 assists, Jordan had 10 points and 19 rebounds to go along with six blocked shots and Redick had 20 points.
By getting the hard-earned victory, the Clippers, with the fourth-best record in the Western Conference, are only 11/2-games behind the Oklahoma City Thunder, who lost at home to Minnesota on Friday night.
“We survived,” Clippers Coach Doc Rivers said. “I’ll take it.”
The Knicks kept the game close behind rookie Kristaps Porzingis’ 23 points, Robin Lopez’s 20 points and 19 rebounds and Carmelo Anthony’s 20 points.
Twice the Clippers escaped when it looked as if the Knicks were going to score and put more pressure on Los Angeles late in the fourth quarter.
Porzingis missed a potential go-ahead basket for the Knicks with 3:18 to play.
The Clippers responded by getting a basket from Wesley Johnson and a three-pointer from Paul for a 96-90 lead.
Porzingis had a chance to pull the Knicks to within two points about two minutes later, but he missed the shot.
That left the Clippers with a 96-92 lead.
Porzingis missed another runner in the lane with 51 seconds to play that could have cut the Clippers’ lead.
Undaunted by New York’s push, Redick made a three-pointer with 36.2 seconds left for a 99-92 lead that finally closed the door on the Knicks.
The Clippers had a 15-point lead in the third that was trimmed to 76-74 at the end of the quarter.
Porzingis, the fourth overall pick in last June’s NBA draft, came alive for the Knicks in the third, scoring 12 points in the period as the Knicks outscored the Clippers, 24-15.
The Clippers shot only 31.6% from the field in the third.
“It was fouls and free throws and we weren’t executing,” Paul said about the Clippers’ losing their third-quarter lead. “It seems like it was a lot of fouls [by the Clippers] to a little [by the Knicks], especially in that third quarter.”
Before the game, much of the conversation was about Jeff Green’s inconsistent play and the need for him to be more solid.
He scored 15 first-half points, making five of nine shots, and never seemed to hesitate.
Green was a big reason why the Clippers opened a 61-50 lead at halftime.
He scored only two points in the second half, finishing with 17 points in a game-high 45 minutes.
“I thought Jeff was great tonight,” Rivers said. “I thought he fought and he had to play just a high volume of minutes. I thought he was in the right place tonight, which to me was the most important part.”
Follow Broderick Turner on Twitter: @BA_Turner
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