SAN ANTONIO (AP) Chris Paul had 19 points and the Los Angeles Clippers beat the San Antonio Spurs 98-87 on Saturday night for their fifth straight victory.
DeAndre Jordan added 17 points and 17 rebounds to help Los Angeles preserve its hopes of hosting a first-round playoff series.
Los Angeles is a half-game behind Utah for the fourth seed and homecourt in the first-round series between the two. The Jazz played the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday night.
Doc Rivers tied Mike Dunleavy for the Clippers franchise record with his 215th regular-season victory.
Kawhi Leonard had 28 points, and LaMarcus Aldridge added 18 points for San Antonio. The Spurs closed out their home schedule with just their 10th loss at the AT&T Center.
San Antonio is playing out the regular season after securing the No. 2 seed and first-round matchup against seventh-seeded Memphis.
The Clippers were 3-1 against San Antonio this season.
The Clippers went on an 8-0 run after the Spurs cut the lead to 72-68 on Leonard’s 15-footer. Los Angeles would take an 82-70 lead into the fourth quarter in a physical matchup between postseason-bound teams.
Aldridge had 10 points in the opening quarter, shooting 5 for 9 while primarily being defended by Griffin. Aldridge scored eight straight points in the opening quarter, including a pair of turnaround jumpers on Griffin and powering past Marresse Speights for a layup.
The Clippers responded by outscoring the Spurs 48-32 in the paint.
TIP-INS
Clippers: Austin Rivers has missed four straight games with a strained left hamstring. . Los Angeles is 23-13 against teams with winning records this season. … Diamond Stone sat out because of soreness in his left knee. He has missed 24 games with a bruised bone in his left knee. … The Clippers have limited Leonard to 13.7 points in 55 career games, his lowest average against any team in the league.
Spurs: Danny Green was running and shooting without discomfort prior to the game after missing five straight games with a bruised left quadriceps. Green is expected to play in the team’s final two games. ”Danny’s going to be OK, I’m just keeping him out another night, just to be sure,” San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said. … Leonard has scored in double figures in 106 straight games. … San Antonio completed the regular season with a 31-10 home record after matching a league record with a 40-1 mark last season. … Dejounte Murray has missed 16 straight games with an injured groin, but could play in the next game or two, Popovich said. … San Antonio will finish with 60-plus wins for the sixth time in franchise’s 43-year history.
UP NEXT
Clippers: Host Houston on Monday night.
Spurs: At Portland on Monday night.
