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Top Five Plays Of The Week – 01/26/15

Rowan Kavner

PLAYA VISTA, Calif. – The last three games amounted to one solid week for the Clippers, who went 3-0 and watched a rejuvenated bench keep the Clippers’ spirits high.

The Clippers beat the Celtics by nine points on Monday, the Nets by a season-high 39 points on Thursday and the Suns by 20 on Sunday.

Here are the top five plays of the week, including three from a Brooklyn game that turned into a high-flying dunk contest.

5) Perfect ball movement leads to Jordan dunk.

The Clippers started slow in Phoenix, failing to hit early. Dunking the ball’s an easy way to guarantee points. The ball movement was perfect on this possession, as Chris Paul gets it to J.J. Redick, who finds Blake Griffin, who finds DeAndre Jordan in less than a second cutting to the basket for the easy jam.

4) Griffin throws it down in transition.

This was the second of back-to-back buckets off dunks against the Nets, this one courtesy of Griffin. Paul hasn’t even crossed mid-court when he hesitates and launches a pass across the court to Griffin, who takes advantage of some slow transition defense by the Nets, slamming it home in style.

3) Paul finds Jordan, keeps Lob City going vs. Brooklyn.

This is further evidence of just how dangerous the Clippers can be offensively when the ball’s moving and in the high pick-and-roll. This play immediately preceded No. 4 on the list, as Paul gets the ball back for the second time in the possession, takes the pick from Griffin and gets an open trip to the lane. Paul then gets the last line of defense to commit, leaving Jordan to do what he does best.

2) Griffin steal leads to Jordan alley-oop finish.

The Clippers already started hot against Boston when Griffin steals the ball from Brandon Bass then dribbles the length of the court. With Bass still trailing him, Evan Turner keeps his eye on Griffin, leaving Jordan open near the basket. That’s typically costly, and Griffin finds Jordan on the alley-oop.

1) Jordan throws it down over Brook Lopez.

There are some weeks the No. 1 choice is easy. Putting an opponent on a poster will do the job. Paul takes the pick from Jordan, hesitates just long enough for another defender to commit, then tosses the ball to a spot, trusting that Jordan will do the rest over Lopez. It worked out well.