Clippers defeat Mavericks to move within half a game of Jazz for fourth in West
One by one by one, Blake Griffin, Chris Paul and J.J. Redick took turns providing the Clippers with a scoring punch.
By himself, DeAndre Jordan was the primary force on the backboards, claiming rebound after rebound after rebound.
They were the pace-setters for the Clippers during their 112-101 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night at Staples Center.
And because that foursome was so effective, the fifth-seeded Clippers moved to within a half-game of the fourth-seeded Utah Jazz in the Western Conference.
The Clippers have three regular-season games remaining while the Jazz have four. The Clippers and Jazz, along with the Oklahoma City Thunder (four games left), are all still in the hunt for the fourth seed in the West and home-court advantage.
So despite the Clippers seeing a 20-point lead in the fourth quarter slip to an uncomfortable position, they have won eight of their last 10 games and remain in positon to move up in the standings.
“I love our pace right now of play,” Clippers Coach Doc Rivers said. “I think we lose it at times the pace. But overall I just liked the pace, the ball movement. That’s what I liked.”
Griffin continued his brilliant play, scoring 32 points on 11-for-14 shooting (two-for-four on three-pointers) and eight-for-10 from the free-throw line.
Paul notched another double-double with 22 points and 11 assists. He was eight-for-14 from the field, three-for-five from three-point range.
Redick had 25 points on six-for-14 shooting. But most of his damage came from the three-point line, where Redick was five-for-eight.
Jordan had a double-double with 11 points and 20 rebounds. It was the 10th time Jordan has collected at least 20 rebounds in a game this season, an NBA high.
“They carried the load,” Rivers said about the above mentioned four players. “They were fantastic. I loved that.”
With two minutes, 30 seconds left in the third, Griffin pushed Salah Mejri while the Mavericks were on a fast break. Mejri took exception and yelled at Griffin, who was simply called for a foul on the play after both players talked trash to each other.
But that little skirmish did not knock Griffin off his game.
His second three-pointer of the game gave the Clippers a 102-89 lead and his five-foot runner after another Dallas basket gave the Clippers a 104-92 lead that basically sealed the outcome.
The Clippers did very little wrong to start the game, scoring at will.
They made their first nine field goals, their first four three-pointers, opening a 17-point in the process. Griffin made all five of his shots in the first quarter, including his only three-pointer.
Luc Mbah a Moute missed the first shot for the Clippers, a layup that rolled off the rim. The Clippers pushed their lead to 18 points in the second quarter before settling into a 62-49 halftime cushion.
“I loved the start again,” Rivers said. “I loved how we came out and defended.”
Twitter: @BA_Turner
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