Final
Clips welcome Nets to Staples Center
Jan 22, 2015 - 2:35 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - The Los Angeles Clippers will carry a two-game winning streak into Thursday night's contest against the Brooklyn Nets at the Staples Center.The Clips knocked off the Sacramento Kings on the road Saturday and collected a home victory over the Boston Celtics on Monday, 102-93.
LA led by 23 points in the third quarter, but the Celtics responded. Despite allowing the Clippers to shoot 50 percent in the final quarter, the Celtics were able to chip away at the deficit with their own hot shooting. They hit their first five attempts from beyond the arc in the period with Marcus Thornton and Marcus Smart each netting a pair.
Thornton's 3 with 3:50 to go made it a one-possession game, but Los Angeles tightened up its defense the rest of the way. The Clippers scored eight of the next nine points, and the Celtics shot just 1-of-5 from the field after the Thornton triple. Chris Paul's 3 with 48 seconds left punctuated the win.
"We should have been better," said Paul. "We shouldn't have let those guys back in the game, but it happens. The good thing is that we were able to hold them off."
DeAndre Jordan scored 19 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and blocked six shots. Blake Griffin led Los Angeles with 22 points and the Clippers also received 16 points from both J.J. Redick and Jamal Crawford.
The Nets began a three-game western road trip with a 103-100 victory over the Kings. It was Brooklyn's second win in three games off the heels of a seven- game losing streak.
Brook Lopez had 22 points and six rebounds to lead the Nets against the Kings. Jarrett Jack posted 16 points and eight assists, while Joe Johnson added 16 points and eight rebounds for the Nets.
"I think we were moving the ball well and really sharing it," Lopez said. "We've been doing well."
Brooklyn led by as many as 23 in the first half before the Kings trimmed the deficit to two late in the fourth quarter, but the Nets were able to stave them off down the stretch.
Rudy Gay scored the final eight points of a 12-2 run to trim an early 17-point fourth quarter deficit to 88-81 midway through the frame and DeMarcus Cousins netted the last four points of a 9-2 spurt later in the period to whittle the gap to 96-94 with 1:31 to go.
Johnson answered at the other end with a left wing 3-pointer before Cousins and Johnson each hit a pair of foul shots for a 101-96 Brooklyn advantage with 24.1 ticks remaining.
Cousins drove in for a dunk and Johnson split a pair from the charity stripe, but Ben McLemore was off on a triple and Jack hit 1-of-2 foul shots with 8.6 seconds on the clock to seal the outcome.
The Nets will visit the Utah Jazz on Saturday.
The Clippers have taken two of the last three versus the Nets. LA has won three straight over Brooklyn at the Staples Center.
- BROOKLYN: 84
LOS ANGELES: 123
Final
Jan 23 12:57 AM - BROOKLYN: 56
LOS ANGELES: 97
End of 3rd
Jan 23 12:24 AM - BROOKLYN: 37
LOS ANGELES: 70
Halftime
Jan 22 11:38 PM - BROOKLYN: 23
LOS ANGELES: 34
End of 1st
Jan 22 11:06 PM - BROOKLYN: 23
LOS ANGELES: 34
End of 1st
Jan 22 11:05 PM - BROOKLYN: 0
LOS ANGELES: 0
1st Quarter - 12:00
Jan 22 10:41 PM
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