Clippers Rout Celtics for 15th Straight Win
The Los Angeles Clippers remained the NBA’s hottest team with a 106-77 pasting of the Boston Celtics on Thursday night in Los Angeles. It was the Clippers 15th win in a row and the 29 points was the largest margin of defeat for Boston this season. Matt Barnes led the Clippers with 21 points off the bench and Jamal Crawford chipped in 17 off the bench as well. Blake Griffin led the starters with 15 points while Caron Butler added 14.
The Clippers raced out to an early 24-9 lead and never really looked back. They were up 60-47 at the half and 82-67 after three quarters. The Clippers are now 23-6 and and have the NBA’s best record while the Celtics fell to 14-14.
”Shows we have a lot of depth. I’ve probably sat out more fourth quarters this season than any of my previous seven seasons,” star point guard Chris Paul said. ”It’s a really good feeling now, a good vibe because everyone is enjoying it.”
The Clippers are still battling for respect despite their play. TV Analyst Charles Barkley wondered aloud about their ability to win in the playoffs when they will have to play a slower paced game. Barkley said he thinks the Clippers are the fourth best team in the west. But the Clippers are used to being overlooked as they play in the shadow of one of the NBA’s most storied franchises, the Los Angeles Lakers. Now the Clippers play in the same building as the Lakers, which means at every home game their fans stare up and look at all those gold and purple banners in the rafters. But this Clippers team is looking to put some different color banners up there, and they look like they have a chance with this team.
In Thursday’s other game, the team the Clippers need to get past to get to the NBA Finals, the Oklahoma City Thunder, beat the Dallas Mavericks in overtime 111-105. Kevin Durant led the Thunder with 40 points and Russell Westbrook added 16 points and 10 assists. The Thunder improved to 22-6 with the win while the Mavs fell to 12-17 dropping their fifth in a row.
