Rowan Kavner
Score: LAC 97 – CHA 83
LOS ANGELES – Head coach Doc Rivers knew he needed to show patience with the defensive adjustments he made this year, particularly with his defensive-minded center.
Rivers said keeping Jordan closer to the rim rather than have him showing on pick-and-rolls initially made the center hesitant, but as games such as Saturday’s 97-83 win against the Hornets (17-19) have demonstrated recently, those days are in the past.
Jordan pulled down 19 rebounds and blocked four shots while adding 11 points, as the Clippers (24-13) stretched their season-long winning streak to eight games.
Next Game: 1/10
“He’s been great,” Rivers said. “I think our defensive changes kind of affected him a little bit. I don’t think in a positive way, early. But as it went on, I think he loves where he’s at and he’s doing it and he’s been great, so it’s real good.”
The Clippers won despite going 8-for-31 from 3-point range, doing so mostly with strong defense. Four of the five Clippers’ starters recorded at least one block, as the Clippers went on to finish with nine and hold the Hornets to 36.9 percent shooting.
Chris Paul added 23 points, seven assists and seven rebounds. J.J. Redick wasted no time keeping his shooting stroke going, starting the night 3-for-3 from long range and 4-for-4 from the floor while finishing with 17 points. Jamal Crawford added 19 points off the bench.
The Clippers’ starters helped pull away from the Hornets with a 15-3 run to start the third quarter after the Hornets went into halftime with their biggest lead of the game at three, outscoring the Clippers by 12 points in the second quarter to take the slight advantage.
In the end, the Clippers’ starters were too much, with four of them finishing plus-21 or better on the night.
The Clippers don’t have much time to bask in their eighth straight win, though, as they finish their home back-to-back with a Sunday afternoon game against the Pelicans.
