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 Like earning the second seed in the Western Conference postseason
field.
Los Angeles stayed in the race to finish No. 2 by posting a 110-103
victory over the Denver Nuggets at Staples Center on Monday.
The Clippers (55-26) earned their sixth consecutive win, and they
recorded their 13th victory in 14 games and their 20th in 27 since
the All-Star break.
"They've got a lot of versatility, and I don't know if people really
understand how good they are," Nuggets coach Melvin Hunt said of the
Clippers, noting their ability to play pick-and-roll or
catch-and-shoot heavy offensive sets and to "punish" smaller teams
with their size.
Los Angeles can finish as low as No. 5 in the West. However, the
fifth seed will have home-court advantage against the fourth-seeded
Portland Trail Blazers in the opening round of the postseason by
virtue of a better regular-season record.
The San Antonio Spurs (55-26) and Houston Rockets (55-26) are tied
with Clippers for the second-best record in the conference. The
Memphis Grizzlies (54-27) dropped a game back after a loss Monday.
All four teams have one game left: The Clippers play at Phoenix on
Tuesday. On Wednesday, the Spurs play at New Orleans, the Rockets
face the visiting Utah Jazz, and the Grizzlies play host to the
Indiana Pacers.
The Southwest Division champion (San Antonio, Houston or Memphis)
and one other team will join the No. 1 Golden State Warriors and No.
4 Blazers as the top four seeds. Division champs win a tiebreaker
over non-division champs, so the only way the Clippers can take No.
2 is if they win Tuesday and the Spurs and Rockets both lose
Wednesday.
Power forward Blake Griffin led the Clippers with 22 points, and he
added nine rebounds and eight assists. Shooting guard J.J. Redick
had 20 points, as did center DeAndre Jordan, who also posted game
highs of 21 rebounds and four blocked shots. Point guard Chris Paul
chipped in 17 points, seven rebounds and a game-high nine assists.
"Blake's been a great passer, D.J.'s going to have a double-double
just about every night," Paul said. "Just about all three of us are
because of the way our team plays."
Denver small forward Wilson Chandler paced all scorers with 32
points. Power forward Kenneth Faried contributed 19 points and a
team-high 17 rebounds, along with some agitation and physical play
that included an elbow thrown at Griffin.
"His leadership, his energy and his effort have been (team)
MVP-like," Hunt said of Faried.
Los Angeles turned in yet another strong finish in a game that was
up for grabs, a signature element of the winning streak. The
Clippers trailed 96-90 with 5:43 remaining, then outscored the
Nuggets 14-1 to tilt the game in their favor.
"We execute so much better this year than last year down the stretch
of games," Clippers coach Doc Rivers said. "We trust better. That,
hopefully, will serve us well in the playoffs."
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The surge began with a three-point play by Griffin and featured
scoring from four of the five players who closed the game for Los
Angeles. The offensive poise of Paul permeated the lineup as the
Clippers were decisive and confident on each possession.
"Chris was Chris," Redick said. "He's a competitor, he's a guy who
makes moves, and in those moments, it always seems like he imposes
his will on the game."
On the defensive end, the Clippers produced an impressive string of
stops, keyed by the defensive ferocity of Jordan in the lane.
"They did get into the paint, probably about nine times, and they
came up empty eight of the nine," Rivers said. "The guys had clear
shots, and they saw D.J. and they go into the double pumps. He's
been so important for us."
The Clippers finished the third quarter on a 9-2 run to lead 83-78.
Denver led 57-54 at the half, thanks largely to superior
ball-handling. The Nuggets committed just three first-half
turnovers, while the Clippers had 10. That differential negated Los
Angeles' decisive advantages in field-goal percentage and free
throws attempted.
The turnover gap was largely erased after halftime, as the Nuggets
finished with 14 giveaways to the Clippers' 15.
"We were being very lackadaisical," Paul said. "We were just being
sloppy rotating to the ball. In the second half, we cleaned it up."
NOTES: The Nuggets were without PG Jameer Nelson (hip) and PF
Darrell Arthur (calf). The two players have not competed since April
4 and March 22, respectively. ... The Clippers won the season series
with the Nuggets, three games to one. ... Los Angeles PG Chris Paul
played in his 81st game Monday. If he plays Tuesday against Phoenix,
it would the first 82-game campaign of his career. His previous high
as a Clipper was 70 games.
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