Clippers move into third in the West with 105-85 win over Spurs
The Clippers beat the reigning NBA champion San Antonio Spurs on Saturday night, 105-85.
They are now in third place in the Western Conference with a 33-15 record, five games behind the first-place Golden State Warriors, who were leading the Phoenix Suns by one point at halftime Saturday night.
L.A. held control for the majority of the game, leading by as many as 22 points in the fourth quarter. Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich waved the white flag with five minutes left in the game, sitting Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Kawhi Leonard.
The Clippers outshot the Spurs, 44% to 37.3%, and outrebounded them, 56-36.
All-Star forward Blake Griffin had a game-high 31 points as well as 13 rebounds and five assists, while All-Star point guard Chris Paul had 20 points and six assists. Center DeAndre Jordan had 19 rebounds, eight points and four blocked shots, while reserves Austin Rivers and Spencer Hawes each added 11 points.
The Clippers are now 2-1 on their eight-game road trip. Their six-game winning streak ended with a 108-103 loss at New Orleans on Friday.
Leonard had 24 points for the Spurs, who had won six in a row at home before Saturday’s loss.
The Clippers, who travel to Brooklyn to play the Nets on Monday at 4:30 p.m. PST, improved to 11-5 against Western Conference playoff contenders.
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