Archive for the ‘Clippers’ Category

Griffin, Paul help Clippers end 3-game skid

Saturday, March 24th, 2012

There’s nothing like a dominating win to take people’s minds off the coach’s job security. Blake Griffin, Chris Pauland the rest of the Los Angeles Clippers shrugged off all the negative vibes swirling around Vinny Del Negro and concentrated on their business.

Griffin had 20 points and 10 rebounds, Paul added 19 points and 13 assists, and the Clippers ended their first three-game losing streak of the season with a 101-85 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday.

“Somebody kind of told me what was being said about him, but we’re all behind him and we’ve got to keep it that way,” Griffin said. “I don’t know how much we’ve taken from his personality, but he’s an energetic coach and obviously we want to play that way. Sometimes we haven’t, but we just need to keep buying in, and everybody needs to believe in each other.”

Del Negro, reported to be in hot water during and immediately following the Clippers’ 0-3 trip, met with general manager Neil Olshey after the team returned home – but would not share details of the conversation.

The only member of Del Negro’s staff with any previous head-coaching experience is Marc Iavaroni, who was 33-90 with Memphis and was replaced midway through the 2008-09 season by current Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins.

“All the speculation, all the sources, all that stuff, I don’t spend a lot of time on that. I don’t have time for that,” Del Negro said. “It’s aggravating, but that’s part of the job. That’s part of the deal. We haven’t been playing well, and I’m the head coach. So that responsibility goes everywhere.

“We need to play better. We lost some games we should have won, and maybe won some games we shouldn’t have. Managing expectations is the hardest thing in this business. And just because you get certain players or you get off to a good start, it doesn’t work like that. You have to put in the time and you have to stay together as a team. If you get everybody pulling in the right direction, it gives you a better chance.”

Randy Foye added 18 points for the Clippers, who are three games behind the Lakers for the Pacific Division lead. They began a stretch of five home games in eight days.

“It was very important to get a win. You almost forget what it feels like after you lose like we’ve been losing,” Paul said. “Our defense had been horrendous for a few games, just giving up everything – 3s, layups, free throws – but today we put it altogether. Everybody was really together when we came out there. We have a five-game homestand now, and we need every win we can possibly get right now.”

Zach Randolph had 14 points and eight rebounds for the Grizzlies, who have lost six of eight after an 11-2 stretch. Point guard Mike Conley had nine points and nine assists during a foul-plagued 22 minutes.

“The Clippers needed a win just as bad as we did. They played with a sense of urgency and they scrapped for everything,” Conley said. “They wanted it more than we did, and there’s no excuses for that.”

Rudy Gay helped Memphis rally in the third quarter, making a 3-pointer to trim the Clippers’ lead to 10 at 61-51. But that was as close as the Grizzlies got. The Clippers responded with a 16-4 run, highlighted by Randy Foye‘s pair of 3-pointers 43 seconds apart, increasing the margin to 22 at 77-55 with 3:13 left in the quarter.

“This win was big for us,” center DeAndre Jordan said. “Our season’s up and down with so many games and bodies are drained. We try, but some nights you’re not going to have it and you’re not going to click offensively or defensively. But today we came out with that defensive intensity, and it kind of had an effect on them the whole game.”

Former Southern California star O.J. Mayo was called for a flagrant 1 foul on Griffin as he drove the lane to get a bounce pass from Paul with 48.3 seconds left in the third and the Clippers leading 79-60. Griffin missed both free throws, but it hardly mattered at that point, and Del Negro rested him and Paul during the final 8 minutes.

“It’s always fun when you win, especially in that manner,” Griffin said. “There are some things we need to keep working on and improving on, but that was a lot better game. Our team defense was better. Guys were rotating in the low post, we got max-side help, we got steals, loose balls and deflections. Those are the kind of things we have to have.”

Griffin, Paul and Caron Butler all scored in double figures in the first half to help Los Angeles build a 56-42 lead. Bobby Simmons, who was re-signed by the Clippers on Saturday – six days after his second 10-day contract with the club expired – beat the first-quarter buzzer with a 3-pointer that capped a 12-0 run and made it 33-17.

“It’s very disturbing because we don’t have a rhythm,” Hollins said. “We can’t come out and score 17 points in the first quarter. We have to do a better job with our bench play and with our starters. Everybody needs to do a better job of guarding their own man.”

NOTES: Clippers reserve point guard Mo Williams missed the game because of a sprained big toe on his left foot. … Griffin, who was 8 for 12 on free throws, is still shooting a measly 60.9 percent from the line in 130 NBA games. … After this homestand, the Clippers will play nine of their final 14 regular-season games on the road. … The Clippers have beaten Memphis four straight times. … Paul has at least one steal in 52 consecutive games, the league’s longest active streak.

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Clippers beat Nuggets 103-95 to end 2-game skid

Thursday, February 23rd, 2012

By BETH HARRIS

Chris Paul and Blake Griffin had a little business to take care of before jetting off to the All-Star game. They helped deliver a morale-boosting victory to the Los Angeles Clippers, who at 20-11 are off to their best start since 1974-75.

Paul scored a season-high 36 points and Griffin added 27 in a 103-95 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday night that snapped a two-game skid in their final game before the break.

The teams had split their first two meetings, with the Nuggets winning 112-91 nearly three weeks ago.

“They pretty much embarrassed us on national TV last time so it was good to get this win and get our confidence going into the break,” Paul said.

Paul and Griffin are headed to the game as starters in Orlando. They’ll return to a team that is No. 3 in the West and atop the Pacific Division to open the second half of the lockout-shortened season.

“That’s when it gets serious, after the break,” Paul said. “Definitely a lot of room for improvement. Obviously we haven’t peaked yet and we can keep getting better.”

Griffin had 12 rebounds and DeAndre Jordan had 10 points and 16 boards as the Clippers improved to 12-4 at home.

“We feel pretty good,” Griffins said. “Obviously we lost some ones that we didn’t want to and we shouldn’t have, but that’s going to happen. We got to keep plugging.”

Arron Afflalo scored 20 points and rookie Jordan Hamilton added a season-high 18 points for the injury-riddled Nuggets, who lost their fifth in a row on the road. They played without Danilo Gallinari, Ty Lawson, Nene and Rudy Fernandez.

The teams played it close throughout with 23 lead changes and 16 ties.

Paul scored 17 straight points over the end of the third quarter and start of the fourth that extended the Clippers’ lead to 85-79.

“The guy that beat us was Chris Paul. He had incredible control of the game,” Nuggets coach George Karl said. “We had a lot of young guys out there, and he found a lot of easy shots and made them. He played spectacular. The last couple of games we got beat by (Kevin) Durant and Paul, and those are two guys who know how to do that.”

The Nuggets answered with seven in a row, including three by Al Harrington, to take a 91-89 lead. Paul was 11 of 12 from the line and had nine assists.

From there, the Clippers outscored Denver 14-4 to end the game. Griffin had six points, making four straight free throws, while the Nuggets couldn’t hit from outside. Harrington airballed a 3-pointer and missed another one on the ensuing possession. He finished with 11 points.

“We missed shots that we normally make,” Harrington said. “I guess I’m in a little bit of a shooting slump, but the only way you can get through that is to be aggressive so I’m going to continue to do that.”

Denver didn’t make a field goal over the final 7:27.

“We had a game plan for (Paul), but we didn’t execute it as well as we would have liked or as well as we did the last time we played them,” Harrington said. “He just got wiggle room and made a lot of big shots. He moves so slow, he almost lulls you to sleep. We messed up a little bit on our coverages and gave him enough space to get shots off. He wasn’t really getting to the basket that much, but he was making his mid-range shots.”

Paul scored the Clippers’ final 12 points of the third, when they led 80-79. Denver led by five midway through the period before Griffin and Paul combined to score seven in a row and briefly put the Clippers ahead by two.

The Nuggets led 54-52 at the break, with neither team leading by more than five points in the first half. Hamilton scored 13 points, missing just two of his six field goal attempts, for the Nuggets. Paul scored all of his 13 points in the second quarter for the Clippers.

Notes: Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro said F Kenyon Martin‘s back has been bothering him and he got hit in the ribs in the game. … Nuggets F-C Nene missed his sixth straight game with a strained left calf. … Griffin and Paul addressed the fans before the game, with Griffin thanking them for their support during the first half of the season. “We’re going to go down to Orlando and try to make you guys proud,” Paul added.

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LA story: 2 Lakers, 2 Clippers get All-Star nods

Thursday, February 2nd, 2012

By BRIAN MAHONEY

From Kobe Bryant to Chris Paul, Blake Griffin to Andrew Bynum, the NBA All-Star game is shaping up as an L.A. story.

Two Lakers and two Clippers were voted as starters Thursday for the game, the first time in 15 years that two pairs of teammates have been voted to start for one conference.

Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant prevented a clean Los Angeles sweep of the Western Conference starting lineup by earning a forward spot for the Feb. 26 game in Orlando.

Dwight Howard of the host Magic – unless he’s traded first – was the overall leading vote-getter with 1.6 million. LeBron James and Dwyane Wade are going together again from Miami, while MVP Derrick Rose of Chicago and New York’s Carmelo Anthony round out the East starters.

The Clippers and Lakers are developing a spirited rivalry this season, but they’ll have to get along for a night to give the West a second straight win in the NBA’s midseason event.

Bryant and Paul will be in the same backcourt two months after the NBA, as owners of the Hornets, killed a trade that would have sent Paul to the Lakers. Instead, he was dealt shortly after to the Clippers, and he has teamed with Griffin to make them one of the league’s most exciting and improved teams, leading the Pacific Division over their Staples Center co-tenants.

Griffin and Bynum are first-time starters, while Bryant earned his record-tying 14th consecutive nod.

It’s the first time since 1997, when Houston had Hakeem Olajuwon and Charles Barkley, and Seattle sent Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp, that two pairs of teammates have been voted to start for one conference.

Bryant joins Shaquille O’Neal, Jerry West and Karl Malone – all one-time Lakers – with his 14th straight starting nod. He earned his fourth All-Star MVP award last year, equaling Bob Pettit’s NBA record.

Bynum grabbed the starting center spot that for years went to Yao Ming, who retired last summer. Griffin was chosen as a reserve forward last year, when he became the first rookie All-Star since Yao in 2003.

Starters were chosen by fan balloting, and none of the races was close. The reserves will be chosen by voting of the head coaches from each conference and will be announced next Thursday.

Bryant led all West players with nearly 1.6 million votes. Rose collected 1.5 million to finish third among all players, a year after becoming Chicago’s first starter since Michael Jordan.

“I remember not being in the All-Star game, just wanting to be in the game. It’s something you should take to heart, that I take to heart,” Rose said before the Bulls’ game against the Knicks. “Just want to accomplish something special while I’m in the league, and one of the accomplishments is being on the All-Star team.”

Howard will make his fifth consecutive start, and his status will provide much of the intrigue surrounding the event. He has told the Magic he wants to be traded and they have given his agent permission to talk to select teams, putting the franchise in a difficult position of deciding whether it should deal its superstar before hosting the weekend.

AP Sports Writer Rachel Cohen in New York contributed to this report.

Follow Brian Mahoney on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/Briancmahoney

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Clippers hold off Grizzlies for bounce-back win

Friday, January 27th, 2012

By GREG BEACHAM

Just 16 games into their new partnership, Blake Griffin and Chris Paul are already capable of grinding out victories for the Los Angeles Clippers on nights when nothing seems to work properly.

They are both certain the Clippers will find their flow pretty soon.

Griffin scored 20 points, Paul added 18 points and seven assists in his second game back from injury, and the first-place Clippers hung on in the fourth quarter for a 98-91 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday night.

Mo Williams scored nine of his 18 points in the fourth quarter, and Griffin added nine rebounds and eight assists as the Clippers maintained a narrow lead throughout the final period despite feeling little cohesion on either end of the court.

“That’s how we have to execute down the stretch,” Griffin said. “It’s a good win against a great team. We shouldn’t be down on this win at all. They’re not all going to be pretty.”

Caron Butler scored 17 points, and Paul also had seven rebounds while playing back-to-back games after missing the previous five with a strained left hamstring. DeAndre Jordan had nine points and nine rebounds as the Clippers bounced back from Wednesday’s contentious loss to the Lakers, dropping that rivalry game after holding the lead for nearly every possession of the first 3 1/2 quarters.

The Clippers’ new nucleus is still learning how to respond to adversity, and Paul thinks this gritty win over a strong playoff contender should help.

“Sooner or later we’re going to learn, because these little opportunities can slip away from you,” Paul said. “We’ve got to build up as many wins as possible, and it feels good for me to be out there. I’ve got to keep the energy going. Every game means so much.”

The Clippers stayed atop the Pacific Division even during Paul’s absence, and they bounced back solidly from Wednesday’s emotional loss to the Lakers, but a tougher schedule looms for a franchise with just one winning season in 19 years. No team in the Western Conference has played fewer games than the Clippers – including 11 in front of sellout home crowds.

Los Angeles did it this time with defense, holding the Grizzlies under 36-percent shooting and scoring 24 points off Memphis’ 17 turnovers.

“We kept them at a low field-goal percentage, but they made us earn everything,” Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro said. “I was pleased with the way we got stops at the end when we needed to. Different guys stepped up.”

Rudy Gay scored 24 points for the Grizzlies, who have lost two straight following a seven-game winning streak. Marc Gasol added 18 points and 11 rebounds on Memphis’ third stop on a four-game West Coast trip.

Gasol’s two free throws trimmed the Clippers’ lead to 91-89, but Butler hit a driving layup, and Paul made two free throws after a steal with 45 seconds left. Although Griffin didn’t score in the fourth quarter, the Clippers scored seven consecutive points in the final minute to seal their third straight win over Memphis.

“None of it was their defense,” Gay said. “It was us. I mean, they do have some long athletic big men that alter a couple of shots. But for the most part, we were getting good shots and just weren’t knocking them down.”

The Grizzlies had a day off after their loss in Portland on Tuesday in their fourth game in five days. Gay managed just 11 points against the Trail Blazers, but surpassed that well before halftime against the Clippers.

Paul made a four-point play during an early 11-0 run by the Clippers, who jumped out to a 27-11 lead late in the first quarter. Rudy Gay made a 50-foot shot at the first-quarter buzzer as the Grizzlies made a 14-0 run of their own, keeping it close into the fourth quarter.

“We couldn’t get any stops down the stretch,” Memphis coach Lionel Hollins said. “We were within three, and every time they came back down, they got it back to five. We never got a stop where we could get a chance to take the lead.”

NOTES: Both teams wore throwback ABA uniforms. The Clippers dressed in the baby-blue-and-red gear of the Los Angeles Stars, while the Grizzlies sported the Memphis Tams’ gold jerseys and green shorts. Starting in 1972, Charlie Finley dressed his newly purchased basketball team in the same colors worn by his Oakland Athletics and the NHL’s California Golden Seals. … Before the game, the Clippers assigned G Eric Bledsoe to the D-League’s Bakersfield Jam in his comeback from a torn meniscus in his right knee. The second-year point guard was hurt during an offseason workout. … Fans near courtside included Rihanna, Billy Crystal, “True Blood” actor Jim Parrack and David Justice.

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