NBA: Evan Mobley scores 30 to lead Cavaliers past Clippers in OT

Evan Mobley scored a career-high 30 points to lead the host Cleveland Cavaliers to a 120-111 overtime victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday.

Mobley has solidified himself at the center spot after All-Star Jarrett Allen has been sidelined with a fractured finger. Mobley added six rebounds and two blocks.

Darius Garland overcame a slow start to finish with 24 points and a game-high 13 assists. Teammate Isaac Okoro added 20 points, five rebounds and five assists.

Clippers forward Amir Coffey's free throw with 30.8 seconds left in regulation tied the score at 106 and sent the game into overtime. The Cavs outscored the Clippers 14-5 in overtime.

Center Ivica Zubac paced the Clippers with 24 points and a game-high 14 rebounds before he fouled out in overtime. Coffey added 19 points and Terance Mann had 18 points and 10 rebounds.

The Cavs are in the midst of playing eight of their next nine games at home, including five in a row.

Cleveland welcomed back swingman Caris LeVert to the lineup against the Clippers. LeVert, who missed the previous nine games with a sprained right foot, finished with 11 points and seven rebounds.

Zubac's two free throws with 6:15 left in the third quarter extended the Clippers' biggest lead, 75-67. However, the Cavs used a 15-2 run, capped by Okoro's two free throws with 2:04 left in the third quarter, to assume an 82-77 lead.

Cleveland outscored the Clippers 31-24 in the third quarter to open up seven-point lead entering the final quarter, 87-81. Mobley had 23 points after three quarters and Okoro added 16. Coffey had 16 points for the Clippers after three quarters.

The Clippers used a 22-8 run in the second quarter to take a 57-56 lead at halftime. Both Coffey and Brandon Boston Jr. had 11 points for the Clippers in the first half.

Mobley had 12 points and four rebounds in the first half for the Cavs, who came into the game 3-7 in their previous 10 games.

Besides Allen, forward Dean Wade (knee), and guards Rajon Rondo (ankle) and Collin Sexton (knee) were sidelined for the Cavs.

Things were even worse for the Clippers, as forward Paul George (elbow) was sidelined, along with forward Robert Covington (personal reasons) and guards Norman Powell (foot), Jason Preston (foot) and Jay Scrubb (foot). Both forward Marcus Morris Sr. and guard Reggie Jackson were held out to rest, while Kawhi Leonard (knee) has yet to play this season.

-reuters

Mavs pull away while Doncic sits, beat Clippers 127-114

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Luka Doncic has his first NBA postseason victory, though probably not the way he expected.

Instead of leading the Dallas Mavericks on the court, he was helping lead cheers from the sideline as his teammates pulled away while he sat.

Doncic scored 28 points and the Mavericks put together the pivotal run when he was out to beat the Los Angeles Clippers 127-114 on Wednesday night and even the Western Conference playoff series at a game apiece.

“This is how we’re going to have to win games,” Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said. “Our depth is going to be a big part of it.”

Two nights after scoring 42 points in the highest-scoring debut in postseason history, Doncic played just nine minutes in the second half because of foul trouble. He finished with eight rebounds and seven assists.

The 21-year-old picked up his fourth foul less than a minute into the third quarter, shaking his finger toward the Dallas bench that he didn’t want to come out.

He stayed on then and, when he did come out toward the end of the period, Dallas put together a strong stretch of basketball. A finishing 14-4 spurt made it 98-85 entering the fourth.

And even after Doncic picked up his fifth less than a minute into the final period and had to go out again, the Mavs pushed the lead to 18 in the final 12 minutes.

Doncic said when he returned to the bench he was frustrated for about 15 seconds, then turned his attention to supporting his teammates.

“Being on the bench, it’s hard for me. I want to help my team but we won the game,” Doncic said.

Kristaps Porzingis added 23 points for the Mavericks. They beat the Clippers for the first time in five meetings this season and earned their first playoff victory since 2016.

Kawhi Leonard had 35 points and 10 rebounds, but Paul George had a mostly miserable performance for the second-seeded Clippers. They played without starting guard Patrick Beverley because of a calf injury.

“We expect a tough matchup, we expect a tough challenge, but the good thing about it is we’re up for the challenge,” George said.

With the top-seeded Lakers and Bucks looking sluggish in the bubble even before they both lost their playoff openers to No. 8 seeds, some betting sites had begun listing the Clippers as the title favorites.

They certainly look the part, having added Leonard and George in the summer and then some veteran pieces during the season. They helped the team compile some of the best offensive statistics in team history, but the defense wasn’t sharp and allowed reserves Trey Burke, Seth Curry and Boban Marjanovic to come off the Mavs bench and score in double figures.

“I just thought their bench outplayed our bench and our starters,” Clippers coach Doc Rivers said.

George finished 4 for 17 for 14 points.

Game 3 is Friday.

After falling behind 10-0 and 18-2 in the opener, Dallas was the team to start fast Wednesday. Doncic and Porzingis made consecutive 3-pointers for an 8-0 lead and Doncic hit another 3 that made it 15-2.

Lou Williams came off the bench and provided a quick spark, scoring 10 points in the period as the Clippers cut it to 29-25 after one. Dallas reopened a double-digit lead by scoring the first 11 of the second to make it 40-25 and led by 17 later in the period before Los Angeles got it down to 61-56 at halftime.

“We knew after the first game that we were right there and we could compete with probably one of the favorites to win it all,” Porzingis said.

George missed his first five shots before hitting a 3-pointer nearly four minutes into the second half.

TIP-INS

Mavericks: Burke scored 16 points, Curry 15 and Marjanovic 13. ... Porzingis was listed on the injury report in the morning because of right knee soreness.

Clippers: Reggie Jackson started in place of Beverley and scored 11 points. ... Lou Williams scored 23.

PAT’S PAIN

Rivers wasn’t sure when Beverley was hurt, saying it was an injury that had been lingering. The Clippers noticed the guard wasn’t moving well at their shootaround and decided to scratch him. Rivers didn’t know if the injury could keep Beverley until the next game or until next week.

Associated Press

Warriors clinch top seed in West; Rockets set record for threes

LOS ANGELES – The Golden State Warriors clinched the Western Conference's top seed with a victory in their final regular-season contest at the Oracle Arena, beating the Los Angeles Clippers, 131-104, on Sunday (Monday Manila time).

Stephen Curry led the charge with 27 points and Kevin Durant added 16 as the Warriors won their fifth straight game.

They wore throwback "We Believe" jerseys in a move designed to honor the past at Oracle, which has been their home venue for 47 years.


The team is moving across the bay from Oakland to a facility in San Francisco where they will play next season.

"Let me just say that for 47 years, Warriors fans have stuck with us through thick and thin," Kerr told the crowd moments after the final buzzer. "Let's be honest, most of those years have been a little thin."


The win gives them home field advantage throughout the West playoffs.

The Warriors' first-round opponent, which will be the eighth seed in the West, is yet to be determined.

There is a chance it could be the Clippers when the playoffs begin next Saturday. They are battling Oklahoma City (47-33) and San Antonio (47-34) — both won on Sunday — for the sixth, seventh and eighth playoff spots in the West.



Elsewhere, the Houston Rockets continued their three-point assault on the NBA as they drained a record 27 from beyond the arc in a 149-113 win over the Phoenix Suns.

The Rockets broke their own league single-game record with the help of 30 points from James Harden.

It came just five days after they tied the mark, initially set against the Los Angeles Lakers in January, with 26 against the Sacramento Kings. They now have four of the top 10 three-point games.

The Rockets made 27 of 57 threes and seven players hit at least two threes, including Eric Gordon who had a career-high eight, Harden who had five, and P.J. Tucker with four.

Austin Rivers broke the record with 69 seconds remaining after Gary Clark had tied it two minutes earlier.

Elsewhere, the Miami Heat edged closer to being eliminated from the playoffs for the second time in three seasons on Sunday after a 117-109 defeat to the Toronto Raptors.

Miami entered the game with their destiny still in their own hands, knowing that victories in their three final regular season fixtures would carry them into the postseason.

But an agonizing loss — they were leading by 13 at one point in the first half — means Miami were now sweating on results elsewhere to have any chance of progressing.

Sunday's loss left Miami with 38 wins and 42 defeats for the season.

Miami icon Dwyane Wade, who could grace an NBA court for the last time when the regular season draws to a close on Wednesday, finished with 21 points.

Westbrook soars

In Minnesota, Russell Westbrook and Paul George combined for 54 points and Dennis Schroder had 14 in the fourth quarter in Oklahoma City Thunder's 132-126 victory over the Timberwolves.

Westbrook added 10 rebounds and 15 assists for his 32nd triple-double of the season as the Thunder remained a half-game ahead of San Antonio for seventh place in the Western Conference.

"That's just what he does," said Timberwolves guard Josh Okogie, who was given the unenviable task of guarding Westbrook.

"He has great teammates around him that can make plays. He's a playmaker himself. He's aggressive, rebounds and can get to the rim."

Karl-Anthony Towns led Minnesota with 35 points, while Andrew Wiggins scored 24 and Dario Saric added 23.

source: philstar.com

Rockets fend off elimination with Game 5 rout of Clippers

HOUSTON — Guard James Harden and center Dwight Howard delivered under the most dire circumstances for the Houston Rockets, who averted elimination with a 124-103 win over the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals Tuesday night at Toyota Center.

Harden posted 26 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, while Howard added 20 points and 15 rebounds as the Rockets forced a return trip to Los Angeles for Game 6 on Thursday night at Staples Center by thriving in the paint and playing with defensive vigor.

Los Angeles still leads the best-of-seven series three games to two. If the Rockets can even the series Thursday, Game 7 would be Sunday back in Houston.

The Rockets matched their Game 3 total for points in the paint (36) by halftime and finished with 64. Houston took full advantage of the foul difficulties plaguing Clippers center DeAndre Jordan, who had three by the break while logging just nine first-half minutes.

Jordan finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds but was largely neutralized as a rim protector. Forward Blake Griffin paced the Clippers with 30 points and 16 rebounds, while guard Chris Paul added 22 points and 10 assists. The guard trio of J.J. Redick, Jamal Crawford and Austin Rivers, instrumental in two blowout wins in Los Angeles, shot a combined 8-for-33.

Rockets coach Kevin McHale tweaked his lineup, starting forward Josh Smith in place of Terrence Jones. Smith finished with nine points, seven rebounds and four assists, while Jones added 12 points and five boards.

Houston forward Trevor Ariza paired 22 points with eight assists.

The Rockets closed the first half with an 18-5 surge, limiting the Clippers to just one basket over the final three-plus minutes of the second quarter. Guard Jason Terry drilled a pair of 3-pointers during that run, and Harden scored six points, hitting a shot with 0.3 seconds left in the half for a 63-48 advantage.

The Rockets led by as many as 22 points in the third quarter before Griffin paced a Clippers rally with nine points during a surge that cut the deficit to 83-70. The Houston bench prevented any further slippage in the fourth quarter, and Los Angeles failed the mount a serious late run.

NOTES: Clippers coach Doc Rivers was surprised by the news that the New Orleans Pelicans fired coach Monty Williams after Williams guided them through a series of debilitating injuries and into the postseason for the second time in his five seasons. “That was a shocker to me,” said Rivers of the dismissal of Williams, who played for Rivers in Orlando (1999-2002). “I was surprised (because of) all the injuries they had.” … Clippers F Glen Davis continues to be slowed by the left ankle sprain he sustained in the opening playoff round against the San Antonio Spurs. Davis played just six minutes Tuesday after appearing for 15 minutes total during Games 3 and 4.

source: interaksyon.com

Donald Sterling diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, no-shows first day of trial on Clippers sale

LOS ANGELES – Donald Sterling, who was a no-show in court for the first day of his trial, has been suffering from Alzheimer’s for at least three years, a witness told a judge on Monday.

The proceedings are to determine if Sterling’s estranged wife Shelly has authority to sell the team, under pressure from the NBA, following racist remarks by Sterling that caused an uproar in America.

Neurologist Dr. Meril Platzer testified that she came to that conclusion after having the disgraced Los Angeles Clippers owner undergo a battery of tests, including a CT (computerized tomography) scan and a PET (positron emission tomography) scan. She also said she went to his home to perform cognitive testing.

Asked how long Donald Sterling had been suffering from “dementia or Alzheimer’s”, disease Platzer said, “at least for three years, most likely for five years.”

Platzer told US judge Michael Levanas that following two hours of testing, she told Donald Sterling that he had Alzheimer’s and his reaction was, “I’m hungry. I want to eat.”

But Platzer said Donald Sterling’s wife, Shelly Sterling, was shocked by the news.

“She was taken aback, shocked. She felt bad for her husband,” said Platzer, who testified she is an expert in the field of neurology, having examined over 25,000 patients over the course of her career.

The probate court trial is to decide whether Shelly Sterling has legal authority under the family trust to sell the National Basketball Association team for a record $2 billion to former Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer.

Donald Sterling is seeking to halt the sale being conducted by his estranged wife, arguing that his privacy rights were violated by the release of his medical records.

After several delays in the morning session, testimony in the non-jury trial in Los Angeles Superior Court finally got under way. But before that could happen a US federal court judge had to deny Donald Sterling’s bid to move his legal fight with his wife over the sale of the Clippers to a federal court. The decision paved the way for the scheduled four-day trial to proceed.

US federal court judge George Wu denied the motion to move the case to federal court, saying that “to the extent that (Sterling’s) medical records are relevant to the probate hearings, the probate court is more than capable of evaluating them and rendering a decision.”

Donald Sterling called as witness

Pierce O’Donnell, lawyer for Shelly Sterling, then called Donald Sterling as the first witness. O’Donnell explained he had subpoenaed Sterling and when told he wouldn’t be available, O’Donnell suggested a bench warrant could be issued.

O’Donnell called his second witness, Platzer, one of two doctors hired by Shelly Sterling who examined Donald Sterling and found him to be mentally incapacitated.

Bobby Samini, the lawyer for Donald Sterling, said his client was not in the courtroom because they thought it would take more time to get a decision from the federal court. His legal team said Donald Sterling would be in court to testify on Tuesday.

Sterling’s other lawyer, Gary Ruttenberg, said that Shelly Sterling had duped his client and that the NBA is complicit in her actions.

“The NBA wants to get rid of my client,” Ruttenberg said. “They were colluding with Mrs. Sterling and her counsel to do this.”

Sterling’s lawyers did not cross-examine Platzer on Monday.

But O’Donnell said no fraud occurred and that Donald Sterling changed his mind after originally agreeing to the sale of the team.

“He will pull out all the stops to prevent the sale from going forward,” O’Donnell said.

Sterling was banned from the NBA for life earlier this year following the public release of recorded conversations between him and his girlfriend V. Stiviano. Sterling is heard on the tape making bigoted comments, criticizing Stiviano for having her picture taken with black people and telling her not to bring blacks to Clipper games.

The league announced plans to take action against Sterling to force him to sell the team. But Sterling has since filed a lawsuit against the NBA, alleging violations of his civil rights.

He has contended that he was recorded illegally while making emotional remarks during a disagreement with Stiviano.

source: interaksyon.com

Banned Clippers owner Donald Sterling apologizes for racist remarks

LOS ANGELES – Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling has offered his first public apology for racist remarks that saw him banned for life from the NBA.

Two weeks after the NBA banned him from all league activities, fined him $2.5 million and began proceedings to strip him of his team, the 80-year-old real estate billionaire insisted he’s not a racist.

“I’m not a racist,” Sterling told CNN’s Anderson Cooper in an interview due to air Monday. “I made a terrible mistake. I’m here to apologize.”

The interview, excerpts of which were posted on CNN’s website, marks Sterling’s first public comments on the scandal since celebrity gossip website TMZ posted a 10-minute audio recording of him that sparked a firestorm in the league and beyond.

In the recording, Sterling is heard chastising his girlfriend for associating with black people and bringing black people to Clippers games.

The response was swift and fierce in the NBA, a league in which the majority of players are black.

The affair resonated outside of sports in a country that continues to grapple with racial issues.

Almost 20 sponsors severed or suspended ties with the team, and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver was widely applauded for his tough stance.

On Friday, the NBA named Richard Parsons, the former chairman of media giant Time Warner and Citigroup, as interim chief executive of the Clippers as the league pursues efforts to oust Sterling.

Such a move would require the approval of 75 percent of the other 29 team owners.

Although it’s thought the Clippers would sell for upwards of $600 million, Sterling’s past history of litigation has prompted speculation that he would resist selling in what could be a bitter legal battle.

In his interview with CNN, Sterling did not take a combative stance, but the longest-tenured owner in the NBA — he bought the Clippers for $12 million in 1981 — made it clear he wants to stay in the league.

“I’m a good member who made a mistake and I’m apologizing and I’m asking for forgiveness,” Sterling said.

“Am I entitled to one mistake, am I after 35 years? I mean, I love my league, I love my partners. Am I entitled to one mistake? It’s a terrible mistake, and I’ll never do it again.”

However, the scandal has prompted scrutiny of past accusations that Sterling discriminated against black, Hispanic and Korean tenants at some of his rental properties.

Sterling’s estranged wife, Shelly Sterling, was a co-defendant in two lawsuits that alleged discrimination, and the future of the Clippers is further clouded by her stated determination to maintain her ownership stake in the team.

In an interview with ABC News’ Barbara Walters airing on Sunday night, Shelly Sterling says she will “absolutely” fight to keep her stake in the team.

However, NBA spokesman Mike Bass responded with a statement outlining the league’s position that her ownership interest would be terminated along with her husband’s.

“Under the NBA Constitution, if a controlling owner’s interest is terminated by a 3/4 vote, all other team owners’ interests are automatically terminated as well,” Bass said.

“It doesn’t matter whether the owners are related as is the case here.

“These are the rules to which all NBA owners agreed to as a condition of owning their team.”

Clippers coach Glenn “Doc” Rivers is just one NBA figure who has said it would be better if neither of the Sterlings have an ownership role with the team.

Hall of Famer Earvin “Magic” Johnson, attending the Clippers’ home playoff game against Oklahoma City, said players wouldn’t play for Shelly Sterling.

“The players definitely wouldn’t like it, everybody would boycott,” Johnson told an ABC television interviewer.

source: interaksyon.com

Clippers outgun Warriors in epic Game Seven shootout

LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Clippers overcame a week of turmoil and the Golden State Warriors to advance to the second round of the NBA playoffs.

Clutch free throws down the stretch and four starters with 20 or more points lifted the Clippers to a 126-121 victory in Game 7 of the Western Conference quarterfinals before a sellout crowd of 19,543 at the Staples Center.

“Because of the week, I’m going to remember this game for a long time,” Los Angeles coach Doc Rivers said.

Racist comments about African-Americans by Clippers owner Donald Sterling last weekend threw the franchise into disarray and resulted in Sterling being banned for life by NBA commissioner Adam Silver.

Sterling’s statements hung over the club like a dark cloud but lifted — at least temporarily — as the Clippers claimed a big win in an intense affair.

With the series on the line, the third-seeded Clippers prevailed with clutch free throws and baskets down the stretch to advance to the second round for only third time since the club moved to Los Angeles. They will face the second-seeded Thunder in Oklahoma City in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals on Monday.

“I’m just happy we pulled it out,” said Paul, who had 22 points, 14 assists, four steals and only two turnovers in 42 minutes. “It’s going to sound crazy, but it was all about tonight. Everythig else was in the past. We didn’t want to dwell on that stuff, and not to diminish how serious everything’s been in the past week or so, it was all about basketball tonight.”

Forward Blake Griffin led the Clippers with 24 points. Guard Jamal Crawford had 22 points and guard J.J. Redick added 20. Center DeAndre Jordan had 15 points and 18 rebounds.

Redick’s two free throws with 12.1 seconds remaining were the difference.

“They made the necessary plays in the last two minutes of Game 7,” said Golden State forward Draymond Green, who finished with 24 points, hitting 5 of 8 3-point shots and grabbing seven rebounds. “We gave ourselves a chance to win in the last two minutes. They made a couple of plays to pull away (and) we didn’t.”

Guard Stephen Curry had 33 points and nine assists for the Warriors.

“Looking at the matchup, we thought we had a shot in the series,” said Curry, who connected on 7 of 17 shots from the field, including 3 of 7 from behind the arc, and all 16 of his free throws. “It’s hard to say it’s a failure of the season, but we fought and left it all on the floor.”

Forward Andre Iguodala’s 3-pointer gave the Warriors a 107-106 lead with 4:27 left in the game, but Paul found Jordan for an alley-oop dunk to give Los Angeles a one-point advantage with 3:39 left.

Two free throws by Curry gave Golden State the lead again with 2:22 remaining before Griffin scored inside and drove home a Redick pass for a dunk for 112-109 lead with 1:54 left.

Jordan jammed a Paul miss with 1:15 left to give Los Angeles a five-point advantage before two free throws by Curry pulled Golden State to within 114-111.

Griffin scored inside on a circus move, pushing the lead to five again with 56 seconds remaining. Green hit one of two free throws to slice the margin to 116-112 with 46.4 seconds left.

Redick’s jumper made it 118-112, but Paul was called for a foul on a 3-point attempt by Curry. He hit all three free throws to cut the lead to three before Griffin found Jordan for a jam with 22:3 seconds remaining.

Green’s trey with 13 seconds left got the Warriors to within 120-118.

The Warriors came out blazing, shooting 72.2 percent from the field in the first quarter and 58.5 percent in the first half to take a 64-56 lead at the break. They also hit 9 of 13 (69.2 percent) from behind the arc compared with 3 of 11 (27.3 percent) for Los Angeles, which converted 51.3 percent (20 of 39) of its attempts from the floor.

Overall, Golden State converted 14 of 25 3-pointers (56 percent) and 49.4 percent (39 of 79) overall. The Clippers hit only 33.3 percent (8 of 24) of their treys and 55.4 percent (46 of 83) overall.

NOTES: Mark Jackson quickly dismissed speculation that he felt pressure that Game 7 might be his last as coach of the Warriors. “I take every day like if could be my last day doing everything, so it’s pressure every single day,” Jackson said. … This was the first time the Clippers hosted a Game 7. They had played in three overall, winning at Memphis in 2012 and losing at Phoenix in 2006. The franchise lost to the Washington Bullets in 1975 when it was the Buffalo Braves. … Golden State has not captured a Game 7 since May 14, 1975, when it defeated the Chicago Bulls in the Western Conference Finals en route to the NBA title by beating the Bullets.

source: interaksyon.com

Andrew Bogut the center of attention in physical Warriors-Clippers duel

OAKLAND – Australian big man Andrew Bogut was the focus of a physical Christmas match-up between his Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Clippers that featured two ejections and two flagrant fouls.

“They are a physical team in the middle,” Bogut said. “Sometimes that’s how it gets. Neither of us backed down and that’s how it should be.”

The Warriors edged the Clippers 105-103 in a game that ended with irked Clipper Chris Paul grabbing the ball out of Bogut’s hands.

As the two exchanged heated words, the Clippers’ Matt Barnes shoved Bogut from behind and that escalated into yells from coaches and players from both teams at each other as they left the floor.

Bogut scored 10 points, grabbed 14 rebounds and goaded Clippers star Blake Griffin into making his second technical foul of the game in the fourth quarter to receive an ejection.

“I was trying to box him out,” Bogut said. “He’s a tough offensive rebounder. Just a little physicality. I think it should have been a foul on each of us and just move on.”

Bogut was issued a flagrant foul for grabbing Griffin, who accused the Warriors of “cowardly basketball” for their physicality.

“I didn’t do anything and I got thrown out of the game,” Griffin said. “(Referees) fell for it. To me that’s cowardly basketball.”

To NBA president of basketball operations Rod Thorn, who issued a statement on the incident Thursday, it was a mistake to eject Griffin.

“After a league review of the Clippers-Warriors game, we have come to the conclusion that Blake Griffin should not have been ejected,” Thorn said.

“A common foul should have been called on Griffin for initially attempting to dislodge the Warriors’ Andrew Bogut and a technical foul should have been assessed to Bogut for grabbing Griffin by the shirt and wrestling with him.”

The statement was some vindication for Clippers coach Doc Rivers, who was irate at Griffin’s ejection.

“I thought we were kicking their butt and they went to something else,” Rivers said. “We have to have better composure and keep playing.”

The NBA did issue a $15,000 fine Thursday to Golden State’s Draymond Green for failing to leave the court in a timely manner after being ejected, Thorn said.

In their first meeting on Halloween night, Bogut and DeAndre Jordan of the Clippers were involved in a shoving match.

The teams play again January 30 at Los Angeles.

source: interaksyon.com

Thunder sweep season series against Clippers

LOS ANGELES – The Oklahoma City Thunder’s playoff push gathered steam on Sunday with a 108-104 NBA victory over the Los Angeles Clippers behind a 35-point performance from Kevin Durant.

Russell Westbrook finished with 29 points, eight rebounds and 10 assists for the Thunder, who swept the season series against the Clippers.

Forward Serge Ibaka had a strong game for the Thunder as he manhandled Clippers star Blake Griffin several times under the basket and finished with 16 points and two blocks in front of a crowd of 19,371.

Ibaka took his aggressive play too far at one point and was nearly ejected after he delivered a hard slap to Griffin’s groin late in the game, a move which earned him a foul.

The Clippers were the hotter of the teams heading into Sunday’s crucial matchup as they had won four in a row and eight of their last nine.

But Westbrook’s baseline jumper with 26 seconds left in the fourth quarter gave Oklahoma City some much needed breathing room in a contest that was close to the final buzzer.

“I expect our guys to be able to fight and get us back in the game,” said Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro. “We were more aggressive in the second half but turnovers and free throws were the difference.

“We had our opportunities but we didn’t convert down the stretch.”

The second place Thunder improved to 43-16 on the season and now lead the third place Clippers (43-19) by one and a half games in the Western Conference standings.

Chris Paul had 26 points, eight assists and pulled down six rebounds, Griffin had 20 points and nine rebounds and Jamal Crawford scored 20 in the loss.

The Thunder completed a season sweep over the Clippers that included winning 117-111 in over-time on November 21 in Oklahoma City and by 12 points on January 22 in Los Angeles.

source: interaksyon.com