Clippers 94, Lakers 84
LOS ANGELES -- Point guard Chris Paul had 23 points and six assists, and the Los Angeles Clippers beat the Los Angeles Lakers 94-84 at Staples Center on Friday night.
Shooting guard J.J. Redick scored 14 points, forward Blake Griffin added 13 points and nine rebounds as the Clippers (17-13) defeated the Lakers for the eighth straight time. They also snapped their three-game losing streak. Guard Jamal Crawford also scored 13 for the Clippers.
Point guard D'Angelo Russell came off the bench to score a team-high 16 points with seven rebounds for the Lakers (5-25), who dropped 10 of their last 12 games. Forward Kobe Bryant finished with 12 points for the Lakers, while guard Jordan Clarkson and forward Julius Randle chipped in 11 points each.
The Clippers grabbed a 60-44 lead at the half, outshooting the Lakers 51.1 percent to 41.7 percent. They also capitalized on nine Lakers turnovers for 12 points while committing five (two points). Paul scored 17 points on 8 of 11 shooting to lead all scorers at the break.
Overall, the Clippers hit 44.7 percent of their shots to 41.6 percent for the Lakers.
In the third quarter, the Clippers padded their cushion to as much as 28. They led 85-57 heading into the final quarter and appeared to have the game in hand.
But the Lakers rallied. They pulled within 89-82 on two free throws by Randle with 4:01 left in the contest. After a 3-pointer by former Laker forward Wesley Johnson pushed the lead back to 10, the Lakers failed to get any closer than eight the rest of the way.
The Lakers never led. Early on, a fluke play indicated it would be an uphill battle for them. Forward Larry Nance Jr. tried to haul in a rebound in the opening minutes of the first quarter. Instead, the ball bounced off the 6-9 rookie's hand and into the Clippers' basket. Jordan got credit for the bucket.
Clippers backup point guard Austin Rivers missed his second straight game with a right ankle sprain.
NOTES: Clippers coach Doc Rivers believes Lakers F Kobe Bryant should be granted a spot in the NBA All-Star game, whether he is voted in or not, for the accomplishments over his 20-year career. Bryant topped all players, leading Golden State Warriors PG Stephen Curry by more than 200,000 votes, in initial results released Thursday. ... In 14 Christmas starts entering Friday's contest, Bryant averaged 27.4 points per game, but the Lakers were 5-9 in those contests. He had 12 in Friday's loss. ... The Lakers captured the only previous Christmas meeting between the clubs in 1991 with an 85-75 victory. ... The Clippers begin a four-game road swing Saturday against the Utah Jazz. ... The Lakers kick off a three-game trip against the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday.