Score: LAC 114 – WAS 109
LOS ANGELES – It only took one assist and, shortly after, one basket to start Sunday afternoon’s game to see what the Clippers had been missing with Blake Griffin out since Dec. 25.
Next Game: 4/3
Griffin returned to the lineup after missing the Clippers’ last 45 games, hitting Luc Mbah a Moute on a give-and-go for his first assist before throwing down an alley-oop on a lob from Chris Paul for his first points, demonstrating in early glimpses what makes him such a vital piece to the Clippers’ puzzle and what they’ve been missing for more than three months.
He wasn’t going to have the wind or the minutes to post 23.2 points, 8.7 rebounds or five assists, as he had averaged previously this season, but Griffin got through his first game back unscathed in 24 minutes, and Paul and the Clippers’ backcourt proved perfectly capable of carrying the load as the Clippers (48-28) beat the Wizards (37-40), 114-109.
Griffin finished a game-high plus-22, while Chris Paul posted 27 points and 12 assists. The Clippers’ shooting guards also played their parts in the scoring, as Jamal Crawford scored 19 points and J.J. Redick added 18.
The Clippers had complete control all night, though the Wizards threatened late. DeAndre Jordan, who had 12 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks, helped the Clippers keep their lead late by catching and throwing down an alley-oop with the same hand out of a timeout.
Then, when the Wizards cut the lead down to three with less than a minute, Paul made sure Griffin’s return wasn’t spoiled as he faked out John Wall before drilling a 3-pointer to put the Clippers back up by six points with 22 seconds left, securing home court advantage in the first round in the process.
