Rowan Kavner
Score: LAC 122 – CHA 117
CHARLOTTE – Former Duke Blue Devils J.J. Redick and Austin Rivers are used to playing in North Carolina.
On Wednesday in Charlotte, they looked like they were at home.
Next Game: 12/31
Redick and Rivers combined for 48 points as the Clippers (20-13) won their fourth straight game, leading the entire way in a 122-117 victory against the Hornets (17-14).
Redick started 5-for-5 from 3-point range and finished the night 8-for-14 with 26 points. Rivers, in his second game back from a sprained ankle, sparked the bench unit with 22 points on 7-of-11 shooting without committing a turnover.
Every time the Hornets would threaten to cut into the Clippers’ lead, getting it within a point or two, the Clippers had an answer.
When the Hornets cut the Clippers’ lead to 74-72 in the third quarter, Redick came up with a 3-pointer. When the Hornets cut the Clippers’ lead to 83-81 later in the quarter, Pablo Prigioni hit a 3-pointer.
Charlotte would threaten again in the fourth, getting the lead down to 94-93, and once again the Clippers responded swiftly, going on a 14-3 run finished off by five straight points from Rivers.
The Clippers shot 50 percent from deep and made 15 3-pointers on the night. From the jump, it appeared it would be one of those nights.
Paul Pierce started the game with back-to-back 3-pointers to open up a 6-0 lead which quickly increased to 13-3. When the Hornets cut the lead down to six, Doc Rivers went with the three-guard backup lineup he liked against the Wizards, and it paid off on the offensive end in Charlotte.
Rivers hit back-to-back 3-pointers the first minute he entered the game to extend the Clippers’ lead back to double digits, but the Hornets would threaten again in the second quarter. A 10-point Clippers lead got down to a point, but Brian Roberts missed a 3-pointer with a chance to give Charlotte its first lead.
That would be as close as the Hornets would come in the first half, as the Clippers followed with a 7-0 run, much like they did all night. Pierce, who had 11 points, made sure the Clippers’ lead stayed comfortable going to halftime with his third 3-pointer of the first half before the buzzer rang to give the Clippers a nine-point lead entering the second half.
Chris Paul had 19 points, 11 assists and five rebounds. DeAndre Jordan finished with 13 points and 13 rebounds. Cole Aldrich continued to be part of the backup rotation, scoring seven points. Jamal Crawford recorded a four-point play among his 11 points on the night.
