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Paul pushes Clippers past Warriors

Nov 1, 2013 - 6:44 AM Los Angeles, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - Behind a sensational 42-point, 15-assist effort from Chris Paul, the Los Angeles Clippers notched their first win of the Doc Rivers era with a 126-115 decision over the Golden State Warriors at Staples Center.

Paul added six steals while making good on 12-of-20 field goal attempts in the Clippers' official home opener -- they dropped a 116-103 verdict to the crosstown Lakers as the visiting team on Tuesday -- with Blake Griffin contributing 23 points on 9-of-12 shooting in addition to grabbing 10 rebounds.

DeAndre Jordan pulled down 17 rebounds, including 10 on the offensive end, and J.J. Redick and Jamal Crawford tallied 17 points each as the Clippers overcame a 38-point barrage from Stephen Curry in Rivers' second game behind the bench.

"A good win. I thought we played great. The intensity was there. I was really happy with our defense tonight, and Chris was awesome," said Rivers.

Curry drained a lethal 9-of-14 tries from 3-point range, but was charged with 11 of Golden State's 25 turnovers. Backcourt mate Klay Thompson managed just 10 points, one night after hitting 5-of-7 treys in a career-high 38-point performance in the Warriors' 125-94 rout of the Lakers on Wednesday.

David Lee scored 22 points for Golden State before fouling out late, with Andre Iguodala recording 14 points and 11 assists in the loss.

"We had some breakdowns and too many turnovers. We battled, but lost to a good basketball team. You can't turn the basketball over to those guys or they will make you pay the price," said Warriors head coach Mark Jackson.

This early-season showdown between the expected top two contenders in the Pacific Division was tight early on before the Clippers began to take control late in the opening quarter.

A 9-0 run ending with a Paul 3-pointer turned a two-point Los Angeles deficit into a 26-19 lead, and the All-Star guard racked up 11 points and six assists to help stake the Clippers to a 36-26 advantage by period's end.

Los Angeles extended the margin with a strong second quarter, with Redick netting the final five points of an 11-2 spurt that put his team up 65-47 with under two minutes to go in the half. The Clippers cruised into the break owning a 68-55 cushion behind a 51.1 percent success rate from the field.

The differential got as large as 19 points during the third quarter, though the Warriors made a bid to get back in it late in the frame. A steal and dunk by Iguodala brought Golden State within 93-80 as the fourth quarter commenced, and Curry knocked down a triple shortly afterward to cap a 10-2 burst that made it a 10-point game.

Another Curry 3-pointer closed the gap to 98-89 with 10 minutes left, but Crawford buried a trey on the other end to ignite a stretch of six straight points by the Clippers that kept their rival at bay.

The Warriors made one final charge, with Curry fouled while sinking his ninth triple of the game and converting the 4-point play to bring Golden State within 110-102 with six minutes remaining. However, Griffin scored on a layup and Paul buried a jumper following a Curry miss to enable the Clippers to withstand the threat.

Game Notes

Paul's 42 points were his most as a Clipper. He scored 43 twice while with New Orleans, on Dec. 7, 2007 (vs. Memphis) and against the Warriors on Apr. 3, 2009 ... Golden State went 12-of-21 from beyond the arc after making 15-of-27 from that distance in Wednesday's opener ... Warriors forward Harrison Barnes missed a second straight game due to inflammation in his left foot ... The Warriors had won three of the four meetings between the clubs last season.