LOS ANGELES (Sporting Alert) — Blake Griffin scored 21 points and J.J. Redick added 20 and the Los Angeles Clippers pounded the Orlando Magic, 114-86, at STAPLES Center on Wednesday night.
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Griffin shot 9 for 16 from the field and pulled down eight rebounds, six assists and two steals in 29 minutes, as the Clippers (13-5) picked up its sixth straight win.
“We were playing exactly how we should play,” Griffin told reporters. “No matter if we are scoring or not, we are moving the ball.
“It never really sticks. Defensively, everybody is there for each other.”
Redick hit 4 for 7 from three-point range to score 20 points and star point guard Chris Paul finished with 19 points – going 7 for 10 from the floor and 3 for 5 from behind the arc – and added 10 assists and five rebounds for Los Angeles.
“Blake is playing better; Chris is playing more aggressive,” Clippers head coach Rivers told reporters. “I think everything starts with Chris and Blake.
“They have found a very great rhythm. From that, everyone is getting great shots. When J.J. plays well, it means that the ball is really moving.
“He is the one guy that needs the ball to move to get a good shot.”
After doing the work in the opening quarters, Paul and Griffin both sat out the entire fourth quarter.
“Games like that, where we’re not having to exert any energy in the fourth quarter, just saves everybody towards the end of the year — and you definitely notice the difference,” Griffin told reporters.
“I remember two years ago, when the second unit was just rolling almost every game. We’d be up eight, and when we came back in the game, we’d be up by 18.”
Tobias Harris scored 16 points and eight rebounds for the Magic (7-14), which also got 11 points apiece from Victor Oladipo and Ben Gordon.
The defeat was Orlando’s second in a row and their sixth in the last seven games.
“That (Clippers) team has been playing well since they played us at our place,” Magic coach Jacque Vaughn said.
DeAndre Jordan grabbed 16 rebounds and blocked three shots in the win for the home team.
Matt Barnes scored 17 points and Spencer Hawes finished with 12 for the LA Clippers, which shot 53.8 percent and as a team finished the night with 44 rebounds and 32 assists.
“The ball is going in the basket for us. They are sharing the ball,” Rivers said. “When we looked at our analytics for the season, it said that we were shooting poorly against uncontested shots.
“Now we are making our uncontested shots. I think that we are getting better shots and making them.”
The Clippers, which never trailed in the game, led by 13 points at halftime and 84-62 at the end of the third quarter.
The hosts led 111-80 with 3:53 left.
Orlando will next play at Utah on Friday, while Los Angeles entertains New Orleans on Saturday.
In other results on the night, Boston Celtics beat the Detroit Pistons 109-102 in overtime, defending champions San Antonio Spurs also suffered an overtime 95-93 defeat to the Brooklyn Nets, while the Atlanta Hawks topped the Miami Heat 112-102.
NBA BOX SCORES AND RESULTS ON DEC. 3
LA Clippers 114, Orlando 86 – Box Score
Chicago 102, Charlotte 95 – Box Score
Boston 109, Detroit 102 (OT) – Box Score
Brooklyn 95, San Antonio 93 (OT) – Box Score
Washington 111, LA Lakers 95 – Box Score
Houston 105, Memphis 96 – Box Score
Dallas 107, Milwaukee 105 – Box Score
Atlanta 112, Miami 102 – Box Score
Toronto 123, Utah 104 – Box Score
Philadelphia 85, Minnesota 77 – Box Score
