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 "I think somebody said before we went on the road that the teams
either find themselves or lose themselves, and we had no choice but
to start playing better on the road," the point guard said.
"Obviously, we spend a lot of time together with each other, and
when we go on the road, you really have to be together."
After compiling a franchise-best 6-1 mark on their 11-day trek, the
Clippers banded together again Monday night at Staples Center.
Forward Blake Griffin and guard J.J. Redick scored 23 points apiece,
and the Clippers rolled past the Minnesota Timberwolves 127-101.
"Me and J.J. were talking about it right down to the fourth
quarter," said Paul, who scored 12 points and recorded eight assists
in 25 minutes. "Our defense is sort of starting to find itself. I
think the last three or four games of our road trip we really
started to build that trust. That's when we're at our best, getting
out in transition and moving the ball. Earlier in the season, the
ball was sticking.
"Me and Blake were talking about it, too. We're just moving the ball
and making the right plays right now."
Redick, who made seven of 11 shots from the floor, including four of
five 3-point attempts, scored 17 first-half points as the Clippers
(12-5) claimed a season-high fifth straight win and earned their
10th consecutive verdict over the Timberwolves.
Clippers forward Spencer Hawes delivered 14 points off the bench,
and center DeAndre Jordan finished with 11 points, 13 rebounds and
four blocks. None of the Los Angeles starters played in the fourth
quarter.
Reserve forward Shabazz Muhammad, a former UCLA star, had 18 points
and 10 rebounds to lead the Timberwolves (4-12), who were coming off
a 107-93 setback Sunday night to the Portland Trail Blazers. Rookie
forward Andrew Wiggins added 14 points for Minnesota, which lost for
the fifth time in six games.
"They're really moving the ball," said Muhammad, whose strong
performance came one night after a 28-point effort at Portland. "We
tried to mix it up by playing some zone and man, but they're moving
the ball really well, and we couldn't get any timing. We made them
shoot a lot of threes, and that was part of our game plan going in,
but they were just hitting them. It just wasn't going our way
tonight."
Los Angeles connected on 15 of 34 3-point tries, while Minnesota
shot 2-for-12 from beyond the arc.
The Clippers shot 51.3 percent overall for the game, while Minnesota
finished at 42.7 percent.
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The Clippers seized control of the game in the second quarter.
Minnesota held a 39-36 lead after a basket by forward Robbie Hummel
with 10:01 left in the second, but Los Angeles went on a 20-2 surge
to take a 56-41 advantage after two free throws by Griffin. The
Clippers held a 65-50 lead at the break after outscoring Minnesota
34-16 in the second period.
That wasn't enough for Redick.
"We were not happy," he said. "We felt like we should have been up
more at halftime, given by how well we were playing offensively. So
we talked during halftime on how we need to come out with a great
start in the third and not let them hang around."
The Clippers buried the Wolves in the third by outscoring them 36-18
for a 101-68 cushion at the end of the quarter.
Minnesota played again without three injured starters, shooting
guard Kevin Martin (fractured wrist), point guard Ricky Rubio
(sprained left ankle) and center Nikola Pekovic (sprained right
wrist), as well as reserve forward Ronny Turiaf (sore hip).
"We've got a young team; we'll learn from it," said Timberwolves
point guard Mo Williams, who managed just seven points and seven
assists. "We know we've got some key guys out, so we're just trying
to hold the fort down until those guys get healthy."
NOTES: Clippers F Blake Griffin was selected the Western Conference
Player of the Week. Griffin averaged 23.8 points, 9.8 rebounds and
five assists in four straight wins last week. ... The Timberwolves
lost for the 11th time in their past 12 outings when allowing 100 or
more points. The lone exception was Friday's 120-119 victory over
the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center. ... Minnesota begins a
two-game homestand Wednesday against the Philadelphia 76ers. ... Los
Angeles hosts the Orlando Magic on Wednesday. ... The game drew an
announced crowd of 19,060.
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