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 Crawford's clutch performance allowed the Clippers to capture
their fifth straight victory, a 102-98 decision at Staples Center.
Crawford connected on five of eight field goals, three of five
3-pointers and eight of nine free throws in the final period,
helping the Clippers wipe out a 10-point deficit. All of this
occurred after he went scoreless in the first half, then missed five
of six shots in the third quarter.
"When I was struggling, my teammates and my coaching staff just told
me to keep being aggressive and, 'We believe in you,'" said
Crawford, who finished 6-for-14 from the floor overall, 3-for-7 on
3-pointers. "When you have coaches and teammates like that, it makes
the game easier."
Forward Matt Barnes was one of those encouraging Crawford.
"I told him that he was a little out of it in the first three
quarters and that he did not get many touches," said Barnes, who had
18 points on 7-of-11 shooting and hit a pair of 3-pointers. "He is
an amazing scorer, and it only takes one shot to get going."
 Point guard Chris Paul had 15 points and eight assists, and forward
Blake Griffin just missed a triple-double with 14 points, 10 assists
and nine rebounds for the Clippers (31-14).
Point guard Ty Lawson scored 19 points and handed out 11 assists,
while forward Wilson Chandler and guard Arron Afflalo each scored 18
for the Nuggets (18-27), who lost their seventh in a row.
"We have to have a killer instinct a little bit," said Affalo, who
added six assists and three steals. "We jumped on them in the first
half. They made some plays down the stretch."
After trailing by 10 early in the final period, the Clippers rallied
and tied the score at 92 on a 3-pointer by Crawford with 3:10 left.
Crawford followed with another bucket for a 94-92 lead, but Afflalo
answered with a jumper to knot the score again at 2:16.
Barnes' layup gave Los Angeles the lead for good at 96-94 with 1:24
remaining. Three free throws by Crawford increased the advantage to
99-94 with 49 seconds left. Chandler hit a floater to cut the
deficit to three with 35 seconds remaining, and Denver got two free
throws by backup center Darrell Arthur to pull within one with 6.7
seconds left.
Crawford hit a foul shot with 5.1 seconds left, missed the second,
then secured his own rebound. He added two free throws to seal the
win.
"They just made basketball plays and we didn't," said Chandler, who
scored 13 of his points in the first half. "They made the hustle
plays, the game-winning plays, and we didn't basically."
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Crawford, though, made the biggest difference.
"He was just being himself," Chandler said. "I played with him in
New York, so I know he's a great scorer. He took shots and made
them. He made some tough ones and got himself going."
Denver, which led by as much as 16 in the first half, held a 41-28
advantage after a 3-point basket by guard Randy Foye midway through
the second quarter. However, the Clippers launched a 22-6 run to
close the half, capped by a reverse alley-oop dunk by center DeAndre
Jordan, on a pass from Griffin, and a Griffin slam for a 50-47 lead
at intermission.
A basket inside by Barnes gave Los Angeles a 56-51 lead in the
opening minutes of the third quarter. Denver answered with an 11-0
surge for a five-point lead after a free throw by forward Kenneth
Faried (14 points) with 6:27 left. The Nuggets increased the margin
to 77-69 by the end of the third, outscoring the Clippers 30-19 in
the quarter.
NOTES: Los Angeles coach Doc Rivers says he is "softening" and
reconsidering his opposition to a ban on intentional fouls. Clippers
C DeAndre Jordan has been a frequent target because of his
notoriously poor foul shooting. "I've been back and forth on it,"
Rivers said. "But I get (the strategy of it). Maybe we should change
it." Jordan, a 41 percent foul shooter, went 5-for-5 after being
intentionally fouled in Sunday's win over the Phoenix Suns. He made
his only free throw Monday. ... The Clippers embark on a nine-game
road trip beginning Wednesday at Utah. They won't play a home game
until Feb. 11, when they host the Houston Rockets. ... The Nuggets
visit the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday.
[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
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