Clippers Rout Lakers, 114-89, On 27 Points By Griffin
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com/AP) — Blake Griffin scored 27 points, Chris Paul had 24 points and Matt Barnes added 19 in helping the Los Angeles Clippers rout the Lakers 114-89 Wednesday night for their ninth win in 10 games against the 16-time NBA champions.
Griffin just missed a triple-double, with nine rebounds and eight assists. DeAndre Jordan had 10 points and 13 rebounds, and J.J. Redick added 10 points as all five starters reached double figures. Paul had 11 assists.
The Clippers led by 10 after the opening quarter, stretched it to 22 points at halftime and were up by 36 going into the fourth in winning their fifth straight against the Lakers. They are enjoying their most successful stretch against the Lakers in franchise history.
Jordan Clarkson scored 14 points to lead the Lakers. Jordan Hill and Wayne Ellington added 13 points each. Kobe Bryant finished with four points, eight rebounds and seven assists after going scoreless in the first half.
The Clippers scored a season high in points in leading 70-48 at halftime. They closed on a 23-9 run, highlighted by five dunks, including three by Jordan. He dunked off a 3-point miss by Matt Barnes to end the half just after Redick found Griffin open in the lane for a windmill jam.
The Clippers opened the game on a 21-7 run while shooting 52 percent in the first quarter.
They blew out the Lakers in the third, outscoring them 29-15. Bryant made his first basket of the game, hitting a 10-footer that left them trailing 85-55. The Clippers opened the period on a 12-2 run, punctuated by Griffin's one-handed dunk after blowing by two defenders.
The Lakers have lost six of their last eight and two in a row while dropping to 11-25 overall. They had been playing slightly better lately, with their previous 10 games being decided by 10 points or less, but they ran into a buzz saw against their Staples Center co-tenants.
The Clippers rested their starters in the fourth when Bryant sat out, too.
The game marks the fewest points Bryant had scored in a game in which he had attempted at least 12 field goals. His previous low mark was five points, set in February 2010 against the Charlotte Bobcats, according to ESPN.
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