Spurs 116, Clippers 92
Tiago Splitter finished with a season-high 22 points on 8-of-12 shooting before leaving with a shoulder injury in the fourth quarter as host San Antonio used a huge first half to knock off Los Angeles.
Tim Duncan notched 19 points and a game-high 11 rebounds for the Spurs, who bounced back from a disappointing home loss to New York last time out. Splitter collided with Clippers center Ryan Hollins early in the fourth and exited the game with a sprained right shoulder.
Jamal Crawford's 24 points paced Los Angeles in the team's first game without injured point guard Chris Paul, who is expected to miss 3-5 weeks after suffering a separated shoulder against Dallas on Friday. Blake Griffin added 19 points and seven rebounds for the Clippers, who had won two in a row following a run of three losses in their previous four games.
The Spurs were in control, opening up a 20-point lead after the first quarter en route to doubling up Los Angeles 70-35 at the half. Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker and Duncan combined for half of San Antonio's points at the break, as the Spurs shot 60.8 percent from the field before intermission.
After falling behind by as many as 37 in the third quarter, the Clippers had a 21-6 run and Crawford hit half-court shot to beat the buzzer but only managed to trim the lead to 88-70 entering the final frame. San Antonio cruised from there, keeping a distance of at least 13 points down the stretch to reel in the win.
GAME NOTEBOOK: After allowing an average of 8.5 3-pointers in its last 17 games, San Antonio limited Los Angeles to 3-of-15 from beyond the arc. ... The Clippers allowed a season-high 70 first-half points for the second consecutive game. ... Spurs SG Marco Belinelli finished with five points on 2-of-5 shooting, following a career-high 32 points against New York on Thursday.