Los Angeles—After running the pants off the Golden State Warriors in the first quarter with a 19-point-lead, the Los Angeles Clippers looked as though they would turn it into a guaranteed win. The Clippers got the win, but the Warriors refused to lie down.
Golden State started to pick up the pace in the second quarter after falling behind, cutting the lead to just one-point (59-58) going into halftime. The Warriors made the Clippers sweat until the time clock expired. The Clippers escaped with a 112-104 win at Staples Center, but it wasn’t a smooth ride for the home team.
Golden State made the Clippers top scorers put in work. Chris Paul scored 28 points and dished out 13 assists, while Blake Griffin chipped in 20 points to pace the Clippers. DeAndre Jordan (18 points) and Mo Williams (14 points) assisted Paul and Griffin in the scoring column to help give the Clippers their third consecutive win.
At this point of the season the Warriors aren’t fighting for anything, but they can interfere with the Western Conference Standings.
If the Clippers didn’t win this game, the Memphis Grizzlies would’ve had a chance to move one half-game behind them in the playoff battle. But Paul isn’t too concerned about the possibility of Memphis surpassing them in the race.
“It’s all about locking up a playoff spot. You got to get in,” Paul said. “Anything can happen when you get to the playoffs. The sky’s the limit. When we play the way we’re capable of playing, we’ve already beaten some of the best teams in the league.”
The Clippers, somewhat jovial with the win over the Warriors, was able to hold on to the No. 4 spot in the playoff race. But if the team has any ambitions of going deep into the postseason, the Clippers have to find ways to sustain a lead when they get one. With the playoffs just two weeks away- the Clippers can ill-afford to let a team sneak back in the game.
“Our offense got us going but our defense allowed them to get back in the game,” Paul said. We have to figure out a way to keep the lead up.”
There are just six games left to conclude the season. The Clippers need to finish strong. They are chasing the Los Angeles Lakers for the third seed in the Western Conference. They also still have a chance to win the Pacific Division if the Lakers are unable to hold on to their winning streak.
“We would love to win the division,” Paul said. “In order to do that, we would need to win out.”
The Clippers are playing better basketball than they were three weeks ago. The wins aren’t pretty but a win is a win at this point of the season. The Clippers have had to endure two straight months of grueling basketball due to the NBA’s revised schedule following the conclusion of the lockout.
The Clippers won’t find too many other teams sympathetic to their basketball grind. Every team in the NBA has gone through the same tough schedule as the Clippers have. The action continues on Monday night at the Staples Center. Paul and his teammates are expected to play a very intense game against Oklahoma City.
Tamara is a graduate of Cal State Los Angeles where she received a Bachelor’s degree in Broadcast Journalism. Tamara is passionate about covering sports. She has covered the NBA and Major League Baseball routinely for the past several years. A Southern California native, Tamara developed her skills as a sports journalist while working for various Los Angeles-based news publications.
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