Clippers Trounce Thunder, Extend Win Streak To 7
LOS ANGELES (AP) — J.J. Redick scored 20 points, DeAndre Jordan had 19 points and 15 rebounds, and the streaking Los Angeles Clippers overcame Chris Paul's injury to defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder 120-98 on Monday night.
The banged-up Clippers tied a franchise record for their best start to a calendar year at 7-0. The team began 1974 with the same mark when the club was located in Buffalo.
Los Angeles owns the NBA's longest active winning streak despite being without injured star Blake Griffin. Paul sprained his left thumb in the second quarter of this one and didn't return.
Still, the Clippers shot 55 percent and improved to 16-0 when hitting 50 percent or better. They were dominant in the paint, outscoring the Thunder 62-34.
Russell Westbrook scored 24 points on 7-of-19 shooting in three quarters for the Thunder, the last team to beat the Clippers — on New Year's Eve — before the calendar turned and their winning streak began. He was the only starter in double figures for Oklahoma City.
Jordan had three dunks, including a reverse off a pass from Marreese Speights, in the third quarter when the Clippers stretched their lead to 27 points. Speights finished with a season-high 23 points.
Jordan sat out the fourth when Speights dunked and hit two 3-pointers.
The Clippers outscored the Thunder 24-6, including nine points by Speights and six by Redick, to take a 22-point lead in the second.
TIP-INS
Thunder: C Steven Adams sat out with a concussion sustained in the third quarter at Sacramento on Sunday night. ... The Thunder were coming off a win at Sacramento 24 hours earlier, but fell to 2-6 on the second night of a back-to-back.
Clippers: G Austin Rivers and Jordan were hit with technical fouls. They'll be expected to donate their fines to a charity of their choosing under a program coach Doc Rivers announced earlier this month as a way to reduce the team's high number of technicals. ... Paul missed seven games in December and early this month because of hamstring issues. ... The Clippers went 2-2 against the Thunder this season. ... G Raymond Felton was 7 of 7 from the floor and scored 15 points. ... For the second straight game, Jordan missed just one field goal attempt, going 7 of 8. ... The Clippers scored the most points during their winning streak.
