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 Forward Blake Griffin had 27 points and eight rebounds and the
Clippers held on for a 109-108 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on
Saturday night at the Staples Center.
"Obviously, we'll take the win and we're happy about the win, but
we're not happy with the way we played," said Griffin, who scored 17
points in the second half and finished 11 of 19 from the floor but
committed seven of the team's 18 turnovers. "I'm not happy by the
way I played. I'm sorry I put us in that situation at the end. I
need to be better."
Griffin missed two free throws with 13.4 seconds left that could
have clinched the outcome for the Clippers. However, they were able
to escape after Atlanta point guard Jeff Teague missed the first of
two free throws with 1.2 seconds remaining.
"If I had made those two free throws, we would have been up by
four," Griffin said. "I just missed them."
The Clippers (44-20) prevailed for the 10th time in their last 12
games. Atlanta (26-35) lost its sixth straight and the 14th in the
past 15 games.
"The Clippers are a really dangerous team," said Atlanta guard Kyle
Korver, who scored 17 points and had a four-point play in the fourth
quarter. "We tried to eliminate their fast-break points, and I
thought we did a pretty good job with that. They have tough
matchups. Just the weapons they have it's tough to guard a
pick-and-roll. They're a tough guard. We would have liked to have
gotten the win."
Clippers point guard Chris Paul had 19 points and 10 assists.
Forward Matt Barnes scored 13 of his 17 points in the first half.
Center DeAndre Jordan finished with 13 points and 12 rebounds and
guard Darren Collison added 12 points.
"It almost felt like we lost," Paul said. "I think we expected a lot
from ourselves. But at the end of the day, the name of the game is
to win the game. Obviously, we're happy we won but there are a lot
of things we need to clean up."
Atlanta trailed 88-78 entering the fourth quarter but rallied late
in the game.
"Good teams find a way to win," Paul said. "That's something we
stress in the huddle all game long."
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Teague, who finished with nine points and nine assists, tied the
score at 107 on a floater with 1:35 remaining before Paul gave Los
Angeles the lead for good by scoring on a drive with 54.6 seconds
left. The Hawks had a chance to tie the score again but turned the
ball over with 35 seconds remaining
After Griffin missed two free throws, Teague was fouled by Jordan on
a shot in the lane. But he missed the first, preventing Atlanta from
tying the score and forcing overtime.
For Griffin, it was the 22nd game in a row that the All-Star forward
has scored at least 20 points.
Forward DeMarre Carroll led Atlanta with 19 points and center Pero
Antic scored 16.
The Hawks, who were coming off a 111-97 loss on Friday night to the
Golden State Warriors, led 58-57 at the half before the Clippers
began to dictate in the third quarter.
An 11-2 spurt after a tip-in by Griffin allowed the Clippers to grab
an 81-72 lead with 3:46 remaining in the third.
Los Angeles guard Jamal Crawford returned after missing three games
with a strained left calf but apparently aggravated the injury in
the first half. Crawford did not play in the second half after
logging 10 minutes. He finished with three points.
NOTES: Atlanta G-F Kyle Korver extended his NBA record of 3-pointers
to 128 games with a trey less than three minutes into the first
quarter on Saturday night. ... Clippers G-F Jared Dudley sat out his
second straight game with back spasms. ... Hawks C Pero Antic
started instead of F-C Elton Brand, who got the nod in Friday's loss
to the Golden State Warriors. ... The point guard matchup featured
two former Wake Forest standouts (Chris Paul and Jeff Teague). ...
Atlanta entered the game leading the NBA in assists at 25.2 per
game. Los Angeles was third at 24.4 per game. ... Atlanta posted a
107-97 win over the Clippers in their initial meeting on Dec. 4. ...
The Hawks cap their six-game road trip on Monday against the Utah
Jazz. ... The Clippers host the Phoenix Suns on Monday and the
Golden State Warriors on Wednesday.
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