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Clippers throttle reeling Pistons

Mar 11, 2013 - 5:05 AM Los Angeles, CA (Sports Network) - Blake Griffin scored 22 points and Chris Paul recorded 20 points and 14 assists to lead the Los Angeles Clippers to a 129-97 rout of the Detroit Pistons.

Both Griffin and Paul shot 9-of-12 from the field for the Clippers, who came into the game off a 107-92 loss at Denver on Thursday. Matt Barnes scored 16 points while going a perfect 5-for-5 from 3-point range, while Caron Butler added 15 points to the win.

"When we play the right way, we're tough to beat," says Paul.

"A good game for us tonight," said Billups. "We wanted to be aggressive on both ends of the floor and we did that."

Jose Calderon had a team-high 18 points while Jonas Jerebko recorded 14 points and eight rebounds for the Pistons, who are on a five-game losing streak. Greg Monroe, Brandon Knight and Will Bynum scored 10 points apiece in the loss.

"It was an embarrassment," said Pistons assistant head coach Brian Hill, who ran the team for the third straight game, as Pistons coach Lawrence Frank was out because of a family matter. "We allowed them easy baskets. I am terribly disappointed with our performance."

The Clippers could not be stopped offensively, shooting 62.5 percent from the field -- including 14-of-28 from three-point range.

Entering the second quarter, the Clippers had a 32-22 lead that they extended by as much as 26 points, 67-41, with 2 1/2 minutes left in the half.

However, the Pistons finished out the second quarter on an 11-3 spurt to cut the deficit to 70-52 at halftime.

Four Los Angeles players scored in double-digits by the half. Griffin was nearly perfect, shooting 6-of-6 and missing only one of his three free throws for 14 points. Calderon was the only double-digit player for Detroit, netting 10 points.

Detroit continued to struggle in the third quarter, scoring just 18 points. for the period Meanwhile, Los Angeles continued to extend its lead and was up 98-70 entering the fourth.

By then, both teams were primarily using their bench players. The Clippers increased their lead by as much as 34 points late in the period.

Game Notes

The Clippers' 129 points is a season high ... Paul is five points short of reaching 10,000 in his career ... Los Angeles have won four straight and six of the last seven meetings against Detroit ... The Pistons are 0-11 on the road against Western Conference teams.