The LA Clippers ended their three-game losing streak with a commanding, marquee victory against the Cleveland Cavaliers, 113-94.
J.J. Redick was on fire in the first half, scoring 21 of his 23 points. His hot start helped weather the storm early against Cleveland Cavaliers (13-4) until the LA Clippers (15-5) were able to take a strong lead in the middle of the second half.
In the first half, the Clippers relied heavily on their defense, which helped them gain the lead. Because of foul trouble, Chris Paul had to sit early, so the offense ran through Blake Griffin. L.A. needed Griffin as their point guard to help set up the offense and get open looks for their shooters.
Blake was brilliant in that role, scoring 13 points and 11 assists (eight in the first half) during a game he didn’t shoot too well. Paul had 16 points in 25 minutes of action. DeAndre Jordan added nine points and 15 rebounds (eight offensive, which troubled the Cavs all night) for the Clippers who were +11 on the boards for the game.
It was after halftime that L.A. turned on the switch to their offense and just lit up the Cavs. They had eight quick points because of sloppy play by the Cavs and went on a 13-2 run before the lead blew up to 26 points with a Jamal Crawford three-pointer. When the Clippers went on their run, the Cavs were visibly upset, arguing between plays.
Kyrie Irving scored 28 points, Kevin Love added 16 points on 7-11 shooting. J.R. Smith and Tristan Thompson both had three points each.
Tyronn Lue pulled his starters with seven minutes left in the game, and Paul played only two minutes in the early part of the last quarter.
A chippy game brought a lot of free throws with a total of 63 between both teams. The Clippers assisted on 33 possessions compared to the Cavs’ 12, indicated their struggles after the first 12 minutes. The Cavs had 18 turnover and failed to make 10 or more three-pointers for the first time this season.
The second half of this game is exactly what pushed the Clippers out to their fast start this season. If they can put games together like the second half, they will be extremely hard to beat in a game or a series.
Mbah A Moute gets the call to guard LeBron
Luc Mbah A Moute got the call to defend LeBron James one on one, and the Clippers limited their switching and their double teams to let the two players face off. It paid off as LeBron struggled from the field, shooting 5-of-14 for 16 points in 32 minutes.
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Once Mbah a Moute got into foul trouble, Alan Anderson came off the bench at small forward. LeBron called for a technical going up for a layup when Anderson came across the body for the strip and fouled LeBron. LeBron inadvertently hit Anderson in the face following through after the foul.
Notes
Redick extended his streak to 76 straight games with a made three. Griffin tied his regular season career-high with 11 assists and would have had a good chance to surpass it if he played the 4th quarter.
This is only the second loss at home for the Cavs, and is the first time the Clippers have beaten a LeBron-led Cavs team.
Next: CP3 expected to demand max deal to stay with Clips
Up Next
The LA Clippers end their six-game road trip against the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night in their second game of a back-to-back. The Pelicans are led by their superstar Anthony Davis, and will try to send the Clippers home under .500 for their six-game road trip. The game will start at 8:00 PM ET and will be televised on Fox Sports Prime Ticket, the home for Clipper Basketball.