Rowan Kavner
Score: LAC 108 – WAS 91
WASHINGTON, D.C. – On a night Chris Paul dunked twice, only one result was possible.
Next Game: 12/30
The Clippers (19-13) never trailed as they pulled out a second straight victory on the road without Blake Griffin, this time in dominating fashion dunking and defending their way to a 108-91 win against the Wizards (14-15).
It didn’t take much for the reserves to get out of their seat on Paul’s first dunk, as he was sat waiting for a pass wide open down court and hopped off two feet with no one near him, surprising his teammates and putting his hands up in the air afterward toward an already ecstatic bench as if to say, “Yeah, I can still do that.”
He proved that further with his next move a quarter later, weaving past Marcin Gortat at the top of the key and rising up on one foot as Kelly Oubre Jr. tried to stop him, putting down a one-handed dunk with the foul and once again sending the bench into a frenzy.
Paul turned back the clock in a night everyone on the Clippers had it going, particularly the veterans. Paul finished with 23 points, seven assists and five rebounds in just 27 minutes. Jamal Crawford scored 21 points off the bench on 9-of-12 shooting. Paul Pierce earned the start against his former team and had nine points in 17 minutes.
Even without Griffin, the starters were able to watch the game from the bench on a night everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. After Paul’s second dunk, Pierce hugged his point guard, who had a smile on his face much of the night.
The Clippers jumped out to a 34-20 lead in the first quarter and never looked back. DeAndre Jordan seemed to be everywhere, throwing down a bevy of dunks and finishing a handful of lobs en route to a 15-point, 13-rebound night. The strong effort from the starters trickled down to the bench, and the reserves took advantage of the added time.
Cole Aldrich finished with a season-high 13 points. Wesley Johnson had 14 points and four rebounds. With the Clippers leading by 25 points late in the fourth quarter, rookie Branden Dawson made his NBA debut.
Austin Rivers returned from a sprained ankle after missing the previous three games and played 19 minutes.
The Clippers improved to 3-0 to start the five-game road trip and snapped the Wizards’ four-game winning streak.
