Clippers 108, Wizards 91
WASHINGTON -- Guard Chris Paul scored 23 points and guard Jamal Crawford had 21 as the Los Angeles Clippers dominated the Washington Wizards in a 108-91 win Monday night.
The Clippers (19-13) never trailed and were never threatened in forward Paul Pierce's return to Washington. Los Angeles took an early 19-6 lead and pushed the advantage to 45-26 in the first half. They shot 52.6 percent from the field en route to a third straight win and second without injured forward Blake Griffin.
Crawford scored 15 points in the second half and his jumper gave the Clippers their largest lead at 106-80.
Guard John Wall had 23 points and 11 assists for the Wizards, who trailed by double figures after falling behind 27-16 in the first quarter. Washington entered with a season-high four-game winning streak, holding the last three opponents under 100 points. Forward Otto Porter scored 21 points for Washington.
Both teams labored from beyond the 3-point arc, but the Clippers repeatedly moved the ball for open shots while the Wizards' offense never found rhythm. Washington shot 39.1 percent from the field.
Los Angeles center DeAndre Jordan had 15 points on 6-of-6 shooting and grabbed 13 rebounds.
Pierce, who signed a free agent contract with the Clippers in July after one season with the Wizards, scored nine points in his first start since Nov. 22. The future Hall of Fame forward's campaign with Washington included a memorable run of clutch shots during two rounds of the playoffs.
Pierce's final shot with the Wizards, a potential game-tying 3-pointer at the buzzer in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Atlanta Hawks, came just after the buzzer sounded, eliminating Washington from the playoffs.
Paul scored 17 points in the first half as the Clippers led 59-46 before the sellout crowd of 20,356.
Wall has six straight double-doubles and 12 in 15 games during December.
Center Marcin Gortat had 12 points and 16 rebounds for the Wizards.
Guard Wesley Johnson added 14 points for the Clippers.
NOTES: Wizards C Marcin Gortat was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week Monday after keying Washington's 3-0 week by averaging 21.3 points, 11.7 rebounds and 1.7 blocks. ... Clippers SF Paul Pierce, 38, was asked if he wants a farewell tour like Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant. "I haven't really thought about that because this could be it," Pierce said. "It's a year by year evaluation. I'll go into the summer. I'll do a summer tour around local parks maybe." ... Washington remains without F Nene (left calf strain), F Drew Gooden (right calf strain), G Gary Neal (quad) and G Alan Anderson (ankle). ... The Clippers visit the Charlotte Hornets Wednesday in their third straight game away from Los Angeles. ... Washington plays its final game of 2015 on Wednesday at the Toronto Raptors.