Surging Clippers hold off slumping Spurs

[November 16, 2018]  Lou Williams scored 23 points off the bench, including nine over the final four minutes, and Danilo Gallinari added 19 as the Los Angeles Clippers held off the visiting San Antonio Spurs down the stretch to continue their winning ways with a 116-111 victory Thursday.

The Clippers have now won five of their last six games, including consecutive home victories over the Golden State Warriors, the Milwaukee Bucks and the Spurs. Los Angeles also has won its past seven home games.

The Spurs tied the game 107-107 with 1:13 left on a pair of free throws from LaMarcus Aldridge, but Williams made a 3-pointer with 41.4 seconds remaining after an offensive rebound from Tobias Harris. The Spurs had trailed the entire second half before Aldridge's free throws.

Gallinari sealed the victory with four free throws over the final 27.2 seconds. He entered leading the NBA in free-throw percentage at 95.7 percent, and he made 9 of 10 on Thursday.

Los Angeles-area native DeMar DeRozan scored 34 points for San Antonio, the ninth time in 14 games he has scored at least 25 points. Rudy Gay added 19 points for the Spurs in his second game since returning from a sore heel. He did not play in a loss Wednesday at Phoenix.

The Spurs lost their third consecutive game, all on the road, and have dropped five of their past six. San Antonio, which has spent just 48 days with a record under .500 over the last 21 years, fell to 7-7 after the defeat.

Clippers forward Danilo Gallinari (8) defends San Antonio Spurs forward Rudy Gay (22) as he drives to the basket in the first quarter of the game at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Montrezl Harrell had 14 points off the bench for the Clippers, who entered as the highest scoring bench team in the NBA. Harris had 18 points for the Clippers, the 14th consecutive game he has scored at least 15.

Bryn Forbes scored 17 points for the Spurs while Aldridge scored 10 and grabbed a game-high 16 rebounds. Patty Mills had 12 points for San Antonio.

After a back-and-forth first half, the Clippers held a 61-60 lead at halftime. They turned it on in the third quarter, going 12 of 21 from the field (57.1 percent) and taking a 91-84 advantage into the final quarter.

The Clippers improved to 8-5 in their past 13 games against the Spurs and are now 5-1 in their past six meetings at home against San Antonio.

--Field Level Media

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