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 The Los Angeles point guard scored 25 of his game-high 32 points
after halftime, and the Clippers pounded the Spurs 107-92 in the
opener of a first-round Western Conference playoff series at Staples
Center.
Forward Blake Griffin added 26 points, 12 rebounds, six assists and
three steals for the Clippers, who won their eighth game in a row
and their 15th in the past 16. Guard Jamal Crawford came off the
bench to score 17 points, and center DeAndre Jordan contributed nine
points and a game-high 14 rebounds.
Paul said it was crucial for the Clippers to be the aggressors from
the opening tip.
"Me and Blake talked about it before the game," said Paul, who made
13 of 20 shots and also had seven rebounds and six assists. "The
team goes as we go, and we sort of feed off each other.
"Blake was so aggressive early, and then it opened it up for me, and
we both just played off of one another, then our guys made shots.
Jamal was huge, and (Jordan) was big on the glass."
Griffin believed the Clippers possessed more vigor.
"We came out with great energy and made stops," Griffin said. "We
knew that they would make a run because that is what good teams do.
We just kept getting stops and easy baskets. Our guys also made
plays late in the game."
Forward Kawhi Leonard scored 18 points to lead the Spurs, who never
recovered from the Clippers' third-quarter burst.
"They played harder longer," said Spurs forward Tim Duncan, who
finished with 11 points and 11 rebounds. "They played with that
energy. Obviously, their crowd was behind them playing here at home
with the first playoff game."
Game 2 of the best-of-seven series is Wednesday at Staples.
The Clippers, who led by six at halftime, took control in the third
quarter. After point guard Tony Parker hit a bucket with 6:43 left
in the quarter to pull San Antonio within 57-53, the Clippers put
together a 14-4 stretch for a 71-57 cushion on a 3-pointer by Paul.
They increased the margin to 18 before Leonard's 3-pointer cut the
lead to 79-64 to end the third.
Two Griffin slams over Spurs backup center Aron Baynes were the
biggest highlights of the Clippers' run.
The Spurs got no closer than nine the rest of the way.
"This was a great win, but if we learned anything over the years in
the playoffs, it would be that you have to finish it out," Griffin
said. "This was one of four that we need, so we need to come out
with the same mentality. They are going to come out and make some
adjustments, and we need to do the same."
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Los Angeles led 30-18 after one period. The Spurs went on a 19-5
run, scoring 10 straight, to open the second quarter and take a
37-35 lead after a basket by Duncan. The Clippers, though, answered
with a 10-0 surge for a 45-37 advantage after a jumper by Crawford.
San Antonio rallied, cutting the deficit to 46-43, mainly by
intentionally fouling Jordan in the final minute and half of the
second quarter. Jordan made four of eight free throws in that span,
including his last three, as Los Angeles took a 49-43 lead at the
break.
"Their aggressiveness, their physicality, their athleticism really
hurt us," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said.
Los Angeles held San Antonio to 36.6 percent shooting on the night
while converting 51.3 percent of its attempts. The Spurs also shot
poorly from the free-throw line, where they managed just 14 of 26
attempts (53.8 percent) to 17 of 28 (60.7 percent) for Los Angeles.
Jordan wound 5-for-12 on foul shots.
Spurs center Tiago Splitter returned to the starting lineup after
missing the last six games of the regular season due to right calf
tightness. Splitter finished with four points and three rebounds in
10 minutes.
NOTES: The Clippers' Doc Rivers and the Spurs' Gregg Popovich are
coaching against each other in the postseason for the first time.
... Rivers says Spurs F Kawhi Leonard doesn't receive enough credit
for his play. "You don't hear a lot of talk about him. Maybe because
he rarely talks about himself, which is really refreshing," Rivers
said. "We all know his defense, but he's so underrated offensively."
... San Antonio swept Los Angeles in the second round of the 2012
playoffs, the only other time the teams met in the postseason. ...
The clubs split their four regular-season meetings, with the
Clippers winning the last two.
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