Griffin, Redick help Clippers defeat Timberwolves
MINNEAPOLIS -- Blake Griffin scored 20 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, and J.J. Redick added 18 points as six players scored in double figures for the Los Angeles Clippers in a 119-105 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday night.
Luc Mbah a Moute chipped in a season-high 15 points for Los Angeles, which extended its NBA-best record to 9-1 and the best start in franchise history. Chris Paul had 19 points and eight assists for the Clippers, who won their ninth straight in Minneapolis.
Karl-Anthony Towns scored 24 points for Minnesota (2-6). The Timberwolves shot 44.9 percent and had 13 turnovers against Los Angeles' league-best defense. But the Clippers shot 52.6 percent, including 11 of 24 from 3-point territory.
Los Angeles started fast despite playing the second game of a back-to-back following a hard-fought victory at Oklahoma City on Friday night. The Clippers made 15 of their first 22 shots and led 34-21 after the first period. With Paul and DeAndre Jordan slow to chip in offensively, Redick, Mbah a Moute and Jamal Crawford led the way.
Redick used screens to get himself open for jump shots, finishing 7 of 13 on the night. Crawford was 4 of 8 with 10 points off the bench. Mbah a Moute averaged 4.3 points entering the night, but was 6 of 8 from the field and 2 of 3 from 3-point range. Mbah a Moute scored eight in the third quarter.
An 11-0 run in the third gave Los Angeles a 16-point lead, which ballooned to 19 early in the fourth quarter before Minnesota closed the gap to 11.
When Los Angeles wasn't using screens to get Redick open, the switches created mismatches for Griffin, who took advantage of matchups with Timberwolves guard Zach LaVine. Griffin surpassed 9,000 career points in the game. In his 420th career game, Griffin became the fastest player to reach 9,000 points, 4,000 rebounds and 1,500 assists since Larry Bird accomplished the feat in 398 contests.
Jordan grabbed 16 rebounds as Los Angeles held a 42-39 rebounding edge, getting out on the break following rebounds for 21 fast-break points. Minnesota fouled Jordan repeatedly in the final minutes in an attempt to get back in the game, but Jordan was 10 of 16 from the free-throw line and scored 18 points.
The Clippers stifled Timberwolves leading scorer Andrew Wiggins, who scored 22 points but shot 8 for 24 from the field.
NOTES: Timberwolves PG Ricky Rubio returned to the lineup after missing five games with a sprained right elbow. Rubio had a team-high 6.5 assists per game before the injury and is a vital piece on the defensive end. ... F Wesley Johnson was held out for the Clippers due to a bruised heel. ... With a Sunday home contest against the Los Angeles Lakers, the Timberwolves have their 31st set of back-to-back home games but first Saturday-Sunday pairing. ... The Clippers started Saturday with the league's top defense in terms of points allowed (90.4 points per game), defensive rating (91.0), opponent field goal percentage (40.0 percent) and point differential (plus-15.3).