Clippers bury Nets for 7th win in row

[November 15, 2016]  LOS ANGELES -- Clearly, the NBA season is a marathon and not a sprint. It's why the fast start by the Los Angeles Clippers means nothing, point guard Chris Paul said.

"Seriously, 10-1 is all good and well, (but) you guys know and you've been around the league, it's not about right now," Paul said. "I think for us, with some of the heartache we've had in the postseason and stuff like that, we expect to do this, no disrespect to anybody. For us, it's all about the process. Every night it's about getting better and building."

Paul was at his best for three quarters, finishing with 21 points, nine assists and five steals and leading the Clippers to a 127-95 romp over the Brooklyn Nets on Monday night at Staples Center.

Blake Griffin added 20 points, six rebounds and six assists, while J.J. Redick contributed 18 points for the Clippers (10-1). Los Angeles captured its seventh straight win and sixth consecutive decision at Staples over the Nets.

Jamal Crawford had 17 points off the bench for Los Angeles. Defensive specialist Luc Mbah a Moute reached double figures for the second game in a row, finishing with 11 points and hitting all five of his field-goal attempts. Raymond Felton also scored 11.

As offensive as the Clippers performed, defending was the difference again for the Clippers, the NBA's top-rated defensive unit.

"It was definitely our defense," said Clippers center DeAndre Jordan, who had a game-high 14 rebounds to go along with seven points. "We were limiting those guys to one shot. Our defense really has an effect on the offense. If we come out and are not scoring or our shots are not falling, we can still come out and play defense and still get stops. That's what we did tonight."

Brooklyn played without leading scorer Brook Lopez, who rested in order to avoid playing back-to-back games. Bojan Bogdanovic scored 18 points, and Sean Kilpatrick finished with 14 for the Nets. Yogi Ferrell and Chris McCullough chipped in 13 each.

The Nets (4-6) fell to 1-4 on the road.

"The Clippers are a great team, a very offensive threat," Ferrell said. "We just didn't come out with enough energy, enough juice to start the game, and it's very hard to come back against a great team like the Clippers."

The Clippers, who sport the NBA's best record, have been a juggernaut at home. In their past five home contests, their average margin of victory is 25.2 points. With the exception of the Oklahoma City Thunder, who registered an 85-83 at Staples on Nov. 2, no team has come within 13 points while visiting the Clippers.

Brooklyn never had a chance. The Clippers, who led by as many as 40, rolled to a 39-14 advantage after one quarter before taking a 71-47 lead at the break. By the end of the third quarter, the margin grew to 99-65 for Los Angeles.

Nets guard Yogi Ferrell (10) battles for the ball with Los Angeles Clippers forward Brandon Bass (30) in the second half of a NBA basketball game at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports

"They got us out of everything we were trying to do, credit to them," Brooklyn coach Kenny Atkinson said. "Their defense was fantastic, and their cohesiveness offensively is impressive."

Griffin scored 18 points on 8-of-12 shooting and Paul added 16 more by hitting six of eight shots from the floor in the first half.

The Nets committed 12 turnovers, resulting in 20 points, to only four (five points) for the Clippers before intermission. Overall, Brooklyn had 22 miscues (leading to 35 points) to 12 (13 points) for Los Angeles.

Los Angeles outshot Brooklyn 53.3 percent to 44.2 percent. From 3-point range, the Clippers connected on 14 of 25 attempts (56 percent) to 10 of 33 (30.3 percent) for the Nets.

The Clippers recorded 21 steals to six for the Nets. In addition to Paul, Griffin, Redick, Marreese Speights and rookie Diamond Stone had two apiece.

NOTES: Clippers F Blake Griffin is averaging 21.3 points, 8.5 rebounds and five assists in his past six games. Griffin has made more than 50 percent of his shots during that stretch, and he hit 9 of 15 on Monday. ... The Nets' reserves entered the night averaging 45.4 points per game, second in the league to the Los Angeles Lakers (51.3 points). Brooklyn's backups registered 48 points against the Clippers. ... Nets G Jeremy Lin sat out his fifth consecutive game with a strained left hamstring. There is no timetable for his return. ... Clippers F Wesley Johnson (left heel contusion) missed his second straight contest. Johnson is listed as day-to-day, but said he expects to return Wednesday when the Clippers host the Memphis Grizzlies. ... The Nets play the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center on Tuesday.

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