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 The strategy worked at times, but in the end, the Clippers fouled
up the plan.
Jordan scored 26 points and grabbed 18 rebounds, and the Clippers
earned a 119-115 victory over the Spurs on Thursday night at Staples
Center.
"They came at me aggressive in the second quarter," said Jordan, who
made just 10 of 28 free throws, including a 4-for-14 spell in the
second period, but converted eight of 11 field-goal attempts. "It
kind of slows us down and breaks down our momentum. At the same
time, though, I have to get used to that. I have to knock them down,
but at the same time, we were coming down on them and were able to
get stops."
Guard Jamal Crawford also had 26 points for the Clippers, who won
their third straight. Point guard Chris Paul added 22 points and 16
assists.
Forward Tim Duncan led the Spurs (34-20) with 30 points and 11
rebounds, while point guard Tony Parker finished with 21 points and
13 assists.
 "They made some big shots," said Duncan, who had 19 points after
intermission and hit 12 of 14 shots overall, his only 3-point
attempt. "Give them a lot of credit. They made plays and some big
shots."
The Clippers (36-19) are 3-1 without All-Star forward Blake Griffin,
who is out after right elbow surgery.
Crawford said a strong group effort by the team, including a
third-quarter spark from reserve forward Glen "Big Baby" Davis, who
scored 10 points and pulled down six rebounds in 17 minutes, helped
the Clippers overcome San Antonio without Griffin.
"Blake is one of the best players in the NBA; he's our MVP," said
Crawford, who scored 19 in the second half. "Nobody can replace him
one-on-one. We all have to fill in. I think we've kind of got the
formula on how we need to play."
Said Jordan, "(The effort) is definitely gratifying, especially with
Blake out. It was showing how great of a team we can be. We are all
getting better and are all stepping it up."
After the Spurs pulled within 112-111 on a layup by guard Danny
Green, Crawford's 3-pointer made it a four-point game with 32.7
seconds remaining. Spurs guard Marco Belinelli answered with a
3-pointer with 30.6 seconds left to cut the margin to one again.
Paul's jumper made it 117-114 for the Clippers with eight seconds
remaining before San Antonio guard Manu Ginobili missed one of two
foul shots with 7.2 seconds to go, forcing the Spurs to foul.
Two foul shots by Clippers guard J.J. Redick with 6.1 seconds left
sealed the win. Redick finished with 15 points.
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After Duncan's dunk cut Los Angeles' lead to 100-95, the Spurs went
back to their hack-a-Jordan strategy, intentionally fouling Jordan
with just under eight minutes left in the game. Jordan made six of
14 attempts in the second half.
"I hate doing it, but it's (not against the rules), and free throws
are part of the game," San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said.
"That's a whole lot better than chasing Chris Paul around."
The Clippers shot 52 free throws, hitting 27. The Spurs finished
19-for-23 from the foul line.
San Antonio built a nine-point lead in the third quarter before the
Clippers roared back with a 14-2 run. After a three-point play by
Duncan made it 74-65 for San Antonio, two treys by Crawford and
another by Redick pulled the Clippers within 76-74.
A three-point play by Davis gave Los Angeles a 77-76 lead before
Jordan increased the margin to three after a throw-down over
Belinelli with 3:32 left in the period.
Jordan's put-back with 5.9 seconds left in the third lifted the
Clippers to a 90-88 advantage heading into the fourth quarter.
Clippers backup point guard Austin Rivers sat out the game due to a
sore left ankle.
NOTES: Clippers coach Doc Rivers, who also is president of
basketball operations, said the club was "active" before the trading
deadline but decided not to make any moves. "We just didn't do
anything," Rivers said. "There was nothing for us. We don't have a
lot of assets to turn around, but we knew that going in." ... San
Antonio captured two of the three previous meetings this season,
with Los Angeles winning the last one 105-85 on the road Jan. 31 to
end a four-game losing streak to the Spurs. ... The Spurs, who are
in the midst of a nine-game road trip that doesn't end until Feb.
28, visit the Golden State Warriors on Friday. The Clippers host the
Sacramento Kings on Saturday.
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