Rivers nails 7 3-pointers, scores 25 in Clippers' win
ORLANDO , Fla. -- Austin Rivers scored a season-high 25 points and hit seven 3-pointers while leading the Los Angeles Clippers to a 113-108 victory over the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night at the Amway Center.
Rivers, who sat out Monday night after sustaining a concussion on Saturday, started just his second game of the season.
Center DeAndre Jordan scored 22 points -- also a season high -- and grabbed a team-best 12 rebounds. He made 12 of 18 free throws.
Blake Griffin had 23 points and seven rebounds for the Clippers. Chris Paul finished with 14 points and a game-high 10 assists. J.J. Redick added 10 points.
Aaron Gordon led the Magic with a career-high 33 points and made 13 of 21 shots from the field. Evan Fournier had 22 points, reserve Jeff Green scored 19, and Bismack Biyombo had six points with a team-high 12 rebounds.
The Clippers scored the first eight points of the fourth quarter, including 3-pointers by Rivers and Marreese Speights, and opened a 97-87 lead they never lost. They closed the game by hitting five free throws, including three by Paul.
The score was tied going into the fourth quarter, although the Clippers never trailed in the third.
Jordan made 11 of 16 free throws in the quarter when the Magic intentionally fouled him repeatedly, hoping to capitalize on his typically poor free throw shooting. He came into the game shooting 52 percent.
Green, who had nine points in the third quarter, hit a 3-pointer with 21 seconds remaining in the quarter to tie at 87.
The Clippers led 60-51 at halftime when Griffin scored 16 points and Rivers 14. The Clippers made it look easy, hitting 23 of 41 shots from the field (56.1 percent) in the first two quarters.
The Magic, who scored 131 points in a victory on Tuesday in Atlanta, provided little defensive resistance early in the game.
Gordon led everyone in the first half with 17 points, despite missing three of his six free throw attempts.
The Clippers led 36-27 early in second quarter when Rivers hit his third 3-pointer. The Magic led by as many as five points early in game, but it didn't last long.
NOTES: Clippers G Austin Rivers returned to action Wednesday after missing one game because of a concussion. He started for the second time this season, replacing F Luc Mbah a Moute, who missed the game due to a bruised right shoulder. ... Rivers had his basketball jersey retired Tuesday at nearby Winter Park High School, where he led the Wildcats to back-to-back state championships. Teammates Chris Paul and Blake Griffin attended the ceremony. ... The Magic also were without C Nikola Vucevic, who missed his third consecutive game with a sore lower back. ... The Magic purchased ownership of the Erie BayHawks, their NBA Development League team, and will relocate it next season to Lakeland, Fla., which is less than an hour from downtown Orlando. ... On Tuesday against Atlanta, Magic PG Elfrid Payton became one of only four players in NBA history to record at least 26 points and 14 assists in a reserve role.