Paul, Williams put Clippers past Parker-less Spurs

[March 10, 2012]  SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- Chris Paul had 36 points and 11 assists, Mo Williams scored a season-high 33 off the bench, and the Los Angeles Clippers snapped out of their recent funk to beat the San Antonio Spurs 120-108 on Friday night.

It was the Clippers' first victory in San Antonio in a decade, and a 3-point barrage led by Williams is what finally snapped their 17-game skid here. Williams was 7 of 9 from behind the arc, including consecutive makes in the fourth that deflated the Spurs.

Manu Ginobili led the Spurs with 22 points. Tony Parker missed just his second game this season with a sore thigh, depriving the game of an All-Star matchup with Paul.

The Clippers needed the win after losing six of nine.

Paul matched his season-high in scoring and shot 12 of 20 from the floor, including three 3s. The Clippers were 14 of 27 from behind the arc and shot 51 percent from the floor.

Randy Foye and Blake Griffin scored 15 points apiece and Caron Butler added 14 for Los Angeles.

The Clippers cruised to a 19-9 mark to start the season, but "Lob City" had nosedived for the past three weeks. However, the franchise's long-awaited win in San Antonio splits a six-game road swing and gives the Clippers some momentum back to Los Angeles for a six-game homestand.

Meanwhile, it's been an uneven return home for the Spurs. They're 2-3 since coming back from the winningest nine-game road swing in NBA history, when San Antonio went 8-1.

Gary Neal, filling in for Parker at point guard, scored 18 points and Tim Duncan had 17. Danny Green scored 16.

The night off for Parker wasn't simply a well-earned rest. Scoring 32 points in a win against the New York Knicks on Wednesday took a toll on the All-Star point guard, who played through a strained right quadriceps and a bothersome right calf that continues to ache.

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich conceded that Parker -- averaging 28 points in his last two games -- could've played and labored through the soreness if needed. But Popovich is through taking chances.

Never mind two injuries that kept Ginobili sidelined for all but a dozen games this season. Popovich, in a moment of candor before the game, admitted he still thinks about last season when Ginobili sprained his right elbow in a meaningless regular-season finale.

"Last year was a huge disappointment to us. To win 60 games and then basically lose Manu on the last game of the year, when should I have sat him? I don't know. I'll ask myself that forever probably," Popovich said.

Parker missed just his second game this season. Making matters worse, the Spurs were also without backup point guard T.J. Ford, who's still recovering from being knocked hard to the floor against the Knicks.

Ginobili, in his third game back from a strained stomach muscle, was 6 of 10 from the floor in 28 minutes. Rookie Kawhi Leonard added 10 points.

NOTES: Clippers F Kenyon Martin (bruised ribs) missed his first game since joining the team in February. ... The Spurs recalled PG Cory Joseph from the D-League before the game but the rookie didn't play. ... If Parker was feeling down about not playing, there was just the place after the game to cheer him up: His new San Antonio nightclub, Nueve Lounge, which had its grand opening Friday.

[Associated Press; By PAUL J. WEBER]

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.