National Basketball Association
L.A. Clippers 92, Oklahoma City 77
When: 10:30 PM ET, Monday, April 16, 2012
Where: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
Officials:
#17 Joe Crawford, #36 David Jones, #29 Mark Lindsay
Attendance:
19516
By SportsDirect Inc.
CLIPPERS 92, THUNDER 77: Nick Young scored 19 points off the bench, Blake Griffin had 17 points and 11 rebounds, and Los Angeles dominated play in the second half in beating Oklahoma City for the second time in less than a week.
The win against the conference-leading Thunder was icing on the cake for the Clippers, who learned moments before tipoff they had clinched their first playoff berth since 2005-06.
Randy Foye scored 13 points and Chris Paul finished with 12 points and 10 assists as Los Angeles held superstars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook in check while moving within a game of the Lakers for first place in the Pacific Division.
Durant scored only five of his 24 points after halftime and Russell Westbrook shot 4 of 16 from the floor for nine points as the Thunder recorded their lowest point total of the season.
With the game tied at 66 entering the fourth, Mo Williams nailed a 3-pointer that jump-started the Clippers. Young later made a jumper to open a 13-3 run that included six points from Griffin, four coming on back-to-back dunks. The spurt was capped by a Williams' 3 for the 87-75 lead with 3:58 remaining.
Durant had 19 points in the first half, but the Clippers put the clamps down defensively in the third. Durant was held scoreless and the Thunder made only six baskets in the frame.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Paul was announced Monday as the recipient of the Sportsmanship Award for the Pacific Division. … The Clippers won three of the four matchups this season. … Young's point total was his highest with the Clippers since being acquired from Washington. … Durant missed all seven of his 3-pointers.
Top Game Performances
Oklahoma City |
|
L.A. Clippers |
Kevin Durant 24 |
Scoring |
Nick Young 19 |
James Harden 3 |
Assists |
Chris Paul 10 |
Kendrick Perkins 9 |
Rebounds |
DeAndre Jordan 12 |
Kevin Durant 10 |
Free Throws Made |
Caron Butler 3 |
Kevin Durant 2 |
Steals |
Reggie Evans 2 |
Serge Ibaka 2 |
Blocks |
Blake Griffin 4 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
Oklahoma City
|
77 |
37.5 |
5-22 |
18-29 |
12 |
42 |
4 |
8 |
19 |
L.A. Clippers
|
92 |
44.4 |
9-20 |
11-16 |
21 |
46 |
7 |
8 |
15 |
Upcoming Games
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L.A. Clippers will play their next game on the road against Denver. The Clippers have a W/L % of .553 after a win and .739 after a loss.
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Oklahoma City will play their next game on the road against Phoenix. The Thunder have a W/L % of .689 after a win and .812 after a loss.