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Clippers top Bobcats for 8th straight win

Dec 13, 2012 - 5:19 AM Charlotte, NC (Sports Network) - Blake Griffin, Chris Paul and Matt Barnes each scored 19 points on Wednesday to lead the Los Angeles Clippers to a 100-94 win over the Charlotte Bobcats at the Time Warner Cable Arena.

Paul also dished out 10 assists while Eric Bledsoe added 13 points and eight rebounds off the bench for the Clippers, winners in eight straight.

"We're playing hard right now, but we're not satisfied," Paul said. "We just have to keep playing the right way to keep this thing (the winning streak) going."

Jamal Crawford, who had scored in double figures in 28 straight games, netted just nine points on 2-of-12 shooting in the victory.

Byron Mullens dropped in 19 points and grabbed eight rebounds and Kemba Walker netted 17 points to go with six assists for the Bobcats, who have dropped nine in a row.

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist added 11 points and eight boards in the setback.

"A couple times we were close and right in there," said Bobcats forward Gerald Henderson. "We couldn't get a stop and got a little stagnant on offense, and couldn't make a shot. We just have to get after and fight. That's a tough team"

Los Angeles led 91-81 with 4:21 to play, but Mullens' 27-foot 3-pointer with 31.2 seconds left capped a small 9-4 burst to pull Charlotte within 95-90.

The Clippers then hit their next four free throws to go up 98-90 with 22 ticks showing. Mullens once again buried a deep triple to make it a 99-93 game with 15.7 seconds left, but the Bobcats scored just one point the rest of the way and Los Angeles held on for the win.

Griffin dropped in eight points in the first quarter to help the Clippers jump out to a 23-21 lead after the first 12 minutes.

Los Angeles used a 15-8 run to go up 40-30 midway through the second frame, but the Bobcats countered with a 10-4 sequence to make it 44-40 with just over two minutes to go in the first half. The teams traded blows the rest of the way and the Clippers led 49-44 at the break.

Despite shooting 57.9 percent from the floor, the Bobcats were outscored 29-27 in the third. Griffin had a strong quarter with nine points on 4-of-6 shooting for the Clippers, who went 3-for-7 from behind the arc as a team in the period.

Los Angeles, which held the Bobcats to 42.7 percent shooting, is 12-0 this season when holding opponents to 43 percent shooting or worse.

Game Notes

The Clippers have scored 100 point or more in six straight games ... Los Angeles outscored Charlotte 50-40 in the paint and 21-12 on second chance points ... Bismack Biyombo had 10 points and nine rebounds, Henderson had 12 points and Ramon Sessions donated 11 points for the Bobcats.