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Clippers snap 18-game skid to Spurs

Dec 2, 2010 - 7:31 AM Los Angeles, CA (Sports Network) - When you're the worst team playing the best team, it helps to have a player like Blake Griffin.

Griffin poured in 31 points with 13 rebounds and the Los Angeles Clippers ended an 18-game losing streak to San Antonio with a 90-85 win over the Spurs on Wednesday.

Griffin was 14-of-21 from the field and scored 29 of his points through the first three quarters as the Clippers -- an NBA-worst 3-15 entering the game -- beat San Antonio for the first time since March 7, 2006.

"He's full of highlights," said Clippers teammate Baron Davis, who returned from a knee injury and played for the first time since November 9, dishing out 10 assists in the win.

"I've never seen a rookie come in and dominate big guys."

Griffin, the No. 1 draft pick in 2009 who missed all of last season because of a fractured kneecap, credited his fellow Clippers for finding him in the right places to score.

"I had so many easy baskets tonight," said Griffin, who singled out Davis in particular, saying: "He makes the game much easier for us."

George Hill had 17 points to lead San Antonio while Tim Duncan scored only eight in the loss.

The Spurs were a league-leading 15-2 coming into the game, the best start in franchise history, but they shot only 35.6 percent from the field and laid an egg against a team they had already beaten twice this season.

"We couldn't get anything to go down," said Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich.

Both teams held leads as high as eight points in the first half, with LA carrying a 48-40 advantage into the locker room.

Griffin carried his team in the third, scoring seven straight Clippers points to key a 7-2 run that put his side up by a game-high 13. He had 12 points in the quarter on 5-of-6 shooting, and LA carried a 73-68 lead into the fourth.

Griffin scored only two points in the fourth, converting a pass from Davis into a layup with 2:26 remaining that gave LA a nine-point lead.

The game was never really as close as the final score indicated. Richard Jefferson hit a three-pointer with 8.3 seconds left to account for the surprising five-point margin.

"This is the NBA," Popovich reasoned. "Anybody can beat anybody."

Game Notes

The Clippers have won three of their last five...LA's last win against the Spurs was a 98-85 decision, also at Staples Center...The Clippers shot 49 percent for the game.