Rowan Kavner
Score: LAC 94 – LAL 84
LOS ANGELES – Wesley Johnson made sure the Lakers still thought about him on Christmas night.
The Clippers’ comfortable 28-point lead after three quarters became anything but that as the Lakers got the deficit down to single digits before two clutch shots late from Johnson, who played his previous two seasons with the Lakers, helping the Clippers finally close out a 94-84 win.
Chris Paul had 23 points, six assists, five rebounds and three steals. Blake Griffin had 13 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists. Jamal Crawford led the Clippers’ bench with 13 points.
The Clippers led, 85-57, after three quarters, shooting 50 percent from the floor and holding the Lakers to 38.2 percent shooting at the time.
Next Game: 12/26
Tipoff: 6:00pm PDT
But the Lakers made Christmas night interesting in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Clippers, 27-9. By the 4:56 mark, it was already a 23-4 run, as the Lakers took advantage against the backups to get the Clippers' lead down to 89-82.
It wouldn't get closer than that, though, as Johnson joined four of the five starters late to settle things down. Johnson’s first jumper in the corner stopped a 19-2 run, and his next one was a corner 3 that got the lead back to double digits after the Lakers cut it to seven.
Every starter for the Clippers finished at least plus-15 on the night, and the Clippers outscored the Lakers by at least six points every quarter except for the last.
The Clippers saw good looks from the start and took advantage, shooting 63.6 percent in a first quarter in which Paul, Griffin and J.J. Redick each had at least seven points.
Head coach Doc Rivers said he still wanted the Clippers to be better defensively even though the Lakers only scored 84 points and had no fast-break or second-chance points in the first half.
Clippers Star: Chris Paul – Paul’s been healthy recently, and it’s showing. Paul’s 11-for-19 each of his last two games, and he’s now scored at least 21 points in four of his last five games, and his teammates are taking notice of what his aggressiveness provides. “He’s a phenomenal basketball player,” Redick said. “I think he’s smart enough to pick and choose his spots. But we love when he looks to score and plays aggressively. The more he looks to score, I think it actually opens up things for his passing.”
Lakers Star: D’Angelo Russell – The rookie led the Lakers with 16 points and added seven rebounds off the bench. On a night no other Lakers player made more than four baskets, Russell was 7-for-13. Russell and Julius Randle both played major roles in the Lakers’ fourth-quarter comeback.
X-Factor: Wesley Johnson – Johnson admitted hitting big shots late against his former team might’ve meant a little more, though he said it means more for the team. Johnson said he was trying to be aggressive when they left him open in the corner. He only had eight points, but he made each of them count. Doc Rivers said he knows what Johnson’s capable of as a shooter, and that Johnson knows he needs to pick up his defense, because that’s’ what the Clippers need from him.
Quotes:
J.J. Redick – “It was as close to a must-win as you can have in the regular season. We’re essentially on a five-game road trip, and this is Game 1. This was a winnable game for us. I thought we played the right way for three quarters.”
Blake Griffin on Lakers’ late comeback – “It puts a little cloud over it a little bit, I guess. But ultimately we need those wins.”
Doc Rivers – “I thought defensively, I know they scored 84 points, I thought we could’ve been so much better, even with the lead in the first half. I’m asking for a lot, and they know it.”
Notes: The Clippers’ win snapped a three-game losing streak … Austin Rivers (ankle) missed the Christmas game, which he said was disappointing because it’s a game he’s always wanted to play in … Austin Rivers said it’s realistic to think he could return on the road trip Monday against the Wizards … The Clippers have beaten the Lakers eight straight times … Roy Hibbert scored the Lakers’ first eight points of the game and didn’t score again … The Clippers held the Lakers to 13 points in the third quarter before allowing 27 in the fourth … The Clippers snapped a streak of 13 straight games with at least 100 points against the Lakers …