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 Griffin scored 39 points, including a pair of critical foul
shots, and the Clippers held on for a 118-111 decision over the Los
Angeles Lakers on Friday night before a sellout crowd of 18,997 at
Staples Center.
Griffin also drained two crucial free throws on Thursday night in a
93-90 decision over the Oklahoma City Thunder. He said he had no
doubt he would come up big again against the Lakers.
"The confidence comes from the time I've spent working on them, but
to go to the line and hit some free throws in a real pressure
situation is a confidence builder," said Griffin, who was 11 of 12
from the line and 13 of 23 from the floor.
Guard Jamal Crawford added 22 points as the Clippers (2-0) beat the
Lakers (0-3) for the fourth straight time. Point guard Chris Paul
(12 points, 10 assists) and center DeAndre Jordan (11 points, 13
rebounds) both recorded double-doubles for the Clippers.
"I liked how we won," Clippers coach Doc Rivers said. "We kept
getting down, kept fighting back, really didn't panic. I liked how
we played down the stretch. Again, stops down the stretch. And I
like what we ran (offensively). We almost scored every time down the
stretch and we scored with good execution. We're learning how to win
close games early. That might be a blessing."
Center Jordan Hill scored 23 points, 17 of those in the second half,
while guard Kobe Bryant had 21 points to lead the Lakers. Point
guard Jeremy Lin added 17 points and nine assists.
Griffin's two free throws with 21.3 seconds remaining lifted the
Clippers to a 114-111 lead. Bryant misfired on a 3-pointer before
J.J. Redick, who scored 15 points, canned a pair of free throws with
15.1 seconds left to seal it for the Clippers.
Griffin and Crawford sparked the Clippers' fourth-quarter comeback.
Crawford tied the score by hitting three foul shots after being
fouled on a 3-point attempt by forward Wesley Johnson with 4:22
left. Crawford added another free throw for a 107-106 advantage with
four minutes left.
A reverse dunk by Griffin boosted the Clippers to a three-point
lead, but guard Wayne Ellington's 3-pointer tied the score again at
109.
Crawford's trey gave the Clippers a 112-109 lead before Bryant's
jumper cut the deficit to one. Bryant, however, missed a shot with
26 seconds left that would have given the Lakers the lead.
"I couldn't be more pleased with this loss, actually," Bryant said.
"We figured a lot of things out."
The Clippers skated out to a 15-point lead in the first half, but
the Lakers rallied. They pulled to within three points on several
occasions late in the second quarter before the Clippers grabbed a
62-56 lead at the half.
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"I thought we just got complacent," Griffin said. "We can't do that,
especially against good teams. Good teams will punish you."
Bryant finished the half with 14 points on 4-of-6 shooting, which
included a reverse dunk in the first quarter on Clippers forward and
former Laker Matt Barnes.
"I don't know what to tell you I shocked the (expletive) out of
myself," Bryant said. "I didn't know that was still in there."
Griffin scored 18 points in the half, hitting eight-of-13 field
goals.
The Lakers opened the third quarter on a 16-5 spurt and took a 74-67
lead after Hill hit consecutive jumpers. Hill scored 13 points in
the quarter, helping the Lakers take a 90-86 lead heading into the
fourth quarter.
However, they couldn't keep the Clippers at bay in the final period.
"I think we took step in the right direction, but it always hurts
when you don't finish the deal," said Lin, who made seven of 13
field goals, including a three of six from behind the 3-point arc.
"Biggest thing is we played as hard as we could and everyone left it
out there on the floor."
NOTES: Both coaches were asked about a possible rivalry between the
two clubs and both had different responses. Lakers coach Bryon Scott
dismissed it, saying the Clippers need to win several NBA titles
before being mentioned in the same conversation with the 16-time
world champions. Clippers coach Doc Rivers downplayed the issue, but
said the two clubs are natural competitors since they play in Los
Angeles. ... Rivers on the play this season of Kobe Bryant: "He's a
killer. That's how he plays. Kobe's Kobe." ... The Clippers will
host the Sacramento Kings on Sunday. ... The Lakers visit the Golden
State Warriors on Saturday.
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