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Hornets rout Clippers 113-71 in 2nd preseason game in China

Oct 14, 2015 - 5:01 PM SHANGHAI (AP) Al Jefferson scored 17 points and Nicolas Batum added 14 with 10 rebounds to lead the Charlotte Hornets over the Los Angeles Clippers 113-71 Wednesday in the second preseason NBA game between the teams in China.

The Hornets went on a 36-8 run after halftime and took a 36-point lead with 8:26 remaining.

Charlotte also won the first game between the teams in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen on Sunday and improved to 4-0 in the preseason. The Clippers fell to 1-3.

Clippers point guard Chris Paul played with two fingers taped together on his non-shooting left hand after fracturing his index finger during a scrimmage on Saturday.

Paul still led the Clippers with 17 points, while Blake Griffin added 14 points and 14 rebounds.

Jeremy Lin added 13 points for the Hornets, who shot nearly 45 percent from the field and went 14-of-25 from 3-point range.

Lin, whose parents are from Taiwan and grandparents were born and raised in mainland China, got a huge ovation from the crowd when the starting lineups were announced and an even bigger cheer when he addreseed the crowd in Mandarin before tip-off.

For the first quarter, the Shanghai crowd also got a taste of Linsanity.

Playing with his hair spiked in a Mo-hawk, Lin scored the first basket of the game - a 3-pointer - about one minute into the game. He then hit a fadeaway jumper, landing on his back on the court, followed by a layup and another 3-pointer in the next three minutes, accounting for all of the Hornets' first 10 points.

''I was in the zone after the first 3-pointer went in, I felt all the shots would go in,'' Lin said. ''It was such a fun trip. I got to show my teammates China, my culture. . And we're exited to go home and get some rest.''

Los Angeles coach Doc Rivers said his team looked frustrated from the first quarter when they began missing easy shots and it only worsened after hafltime. The Clippers went a miserable 4-for-23 from 3-point range in the game and finished with 22 turnovers.

Paul Pierce missed all five of his shots - including three 3-pointers - in 15 minutes and starting center DeAndre Jordan finished with just three points and four rebounds in 25 minutes.

Still, as poorly as his team played, Rivers said the China trip was positive from a bonding standpoint.

''Our guys have been going out to different restaurants together and just enjoying each other,'' he said. ''The one thing about going abroad for all teams, Charlotte as well, is I think it allows you to team-build sooner than if you were at home. So mission accomplished.''