Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul (left), attempts to pass as Brooklyn Nets forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson reaches in during the first half of an NBA basketball game
Even as their leads expand to 30 and sometimes 40 points, the Los Angeles Clippers swear they’re not paying attention to the spread.
For the NBA’s best team, it’s all about consistency.
Chris Paul had 21 points and nine assists and Blake Griffin added 20 points in a 127-95 rout of the Brooklyn Nets yesterday [Macau time] that improved the Clippers to 10-1 with their seventh straight victory.
“We have a singular focus,” Paul said. “No excuses, we said we’re going to come out the same way every night. It’s all about playing the right way. We got to keep building.”
Los Angeles came in having outscored opponents by an average of 15.1 points, the largest in the league. Brooklyn quickly found itself relegated to the Clippers’ growing scrap heap.
“It’s actually good for our guys to see a team like this,” new Nets coach Kenny Atkinson said. “They can see how well they are playing and their cohesiveness. They’ve been together for a while and they’re executing well.”
Bojan Bogdanovic led the Nets with 18 points and Sean Kilpatrick added 14. Brooklyn’s season-high 22 turnovers led to 35 points by the Clippers.
San Antonio’s Kawhi Leonard had 24 points and 12 rebounds and LaMarcus Aldridge added 18 points in a 94-90 victory over visiting Miami.
The Spurs’ projected starting five of Leonard, Aldridge, Pau Gasol, Tony Parker and Danny Green made its home debut after injuries to the starting backcourt led to five different starting lineups in the team’s first nine games.
Gasol had 12 points, Parker added 11 points and six assists and Green was limited to three points in 15 minutes.
The Heat lost their fifth straight game. Dion Waiters, who hurt San Antonio in the playoffs last season while with Oklahoma City, had 27 points for Miami. Hassan Whiteside had 23 points and 17 rebounds.
In New Orleans, Anthony Davis had 25 points, 16 rebounds, four steals and two blocks as the Pelicans won for only the second time in their first 11 games, 106-105 over the Boston Celtics.
Langston Galloway scored a season-high 21 points, while Terrence Jones added 15 points and a season-high 10 rebounds for New Orleans, which has won two of three after an 0-8 start.
Isaiah Thomas scored 37 for Boston, including a driving scoop that tied the game with 7 seconds left. But Boston’s Kelly Olynyk fouled New Orleans guard Tim Frazier with 2.5 seconds left, and Frazier sank one free throw for the margin of victory.
In other games, Indiana won 88-69 at home to Orlando, Houston thrashed the visiting Philadelphia 115-88, the New York Knicks won 93-77 at home to Dallas, Detroit won 104-88 at home to Oklahoma City, and Memphis won 102-96 at Salt Lake City. AP
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