Clippers 97, Hornets 83
LOS ANGELES - Point guard Chris Paul had 25 points, seven assists and seven rebounds, leading the Los Angeles Clippers to a 97-83 victory over the Charlotte Hornets at Staples Center on Saturday.
Guard Jamal Crawford scored 19 points and guard J.J. Redick added 17 as the Clippers (24-13) captured their eighth straight victory and handed the Hornets their sixth consecutive defeat. Center DeAndre Jordan grabbed 19 rebounds to go along with 11 points.
Guard Jeremy Lin scored 26 points to pace the Hornets (17-19), who have lost seven road games in a row. Guard Jeremy Lamb came off the bench to score 18 points and collect 13 rebounds.
Los Angeles had a tough time shaking the Hornets, who came back from several double-figure deficits, until late in the game. Crawford's 3-point jumper with 3:03 remaining allowed the Clippers to take a 91-79 cushion and that was too much for Charlotte to overcome.
The Clippers, who led by as much as 11 in the first half, held a 35-28 advantage after a bucket by reserve center Cole Aldrich with 7:46 left in the second quarter. However, an 18-8 run by the Hornets to close the half, capped by a 3-pointer from Lamb, boosted them to a 46-43 lead at the half.
Lamb had 12 points on 5-of-5 shooting and seven rebounds in the second quarter as the Hornets outscored the Clippers 28-16.
In the third, the Clippers opened the quarter by pushing the lead to double digits again, going up 68-57 after two free throws by guard Austin Rivers. But Charlotte closed the gap to 70-64 by the end of the quarter when center Spencer Hawes scored inside.
Hawes was playing against the Clippers in Los Angeles for the first time since they traded him during the off-season to the Hornets for guard Lance Stevenson.
NOTES: Clippers F Blake Griffin, who hasn't played since sustaining a partially torn quad tendon in a Dec. 25 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers, could miss another two weeks. ... Hornets G Kemba Walker averaged 27.3 points per game in the previous six contests. ... Los Angeles continued to lead the NBA in technical fouls with 21, four more than the Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder entering the game. Clippers C DeAndre Jordan and Griffin were tied for second among players with seven apiece, one behind Toronto Raptors PG Kyle Lowry, who had eight. ... Both teams resume play Sunday. The Hornets cap their four-game trip at the Denver Nuggets, while the Clippers host the New Orleans Pelicans.