Rowan Kavner
Score: LAC 104 – MIA 90
LOS ANGELES – Missing their leading scorer at one end and their leading defender at the other, trailing by 16 points against the Heat, no one would’ve blamed the Clippers for folding.
Instead, the Clippers responded with a 38-10 run to spark their 10th straight win, answering more adversity than they’ve faced all season with a 104-90 victory, despite playing without DeAndre Jordan for the first time since 2011 and without both Jordan and Blake Griffin for the first time since 2010.
Next Game: 1/16
The Clippers needed everyone, and they got career nights from many of them.
They needed Cole Aldrich, who stepped in for Jordan to make his first start of the season and scored a season-high 19 points to go with seven rebounds and three assists. His previous scoring high for the year was 13. He scored that many in the third quarter alone.
They needed Paul Pierce, who pulled down a season-high nine rebounds and scored 15 points, including eight straight when the Clippers trailed by 16 points in the second quarter to get the deficit down to 10 and eventually down to single digits before halftime, setting up a spectacular third quarter.
They needed Pablo Prigioni, who finished with a career-high eight steals on a night the Clippers came up with 18 of them as a team. The Clippers forced 23 turnovers and had just seven of their own.
They needed Josh Smith, too, despite the forward not getting any action in eight of his previous 10 games or scored since Dec. 19, then added nine points and three steals in 20 minutes.
And, as they had throughout their winning streak, they needed Chris Paul, who had 15 points, 12 assists, six rebounds and four steals, working masterfully with Aldrich and the rest of the starters, who all finished plus-10 or better on the night.
In the end, they got just about everything they needed to overcome a double-digit deficit to a winning team with a masterful second half, doubling up the Heat in the third quarter, 34-17, then outscoring Miami again in the fourth quarter to seal the deal in their first game without Jordan (pneumonia).
