Blake Griffin took another step toward becoming the greatest L.A. Clipper of all-time at age 21 as a 26th consecutive double-double helped his team beat the L.A. Lakers 99-92 on Sunday. That wasn't all; as with all things Griffin, there is so much more. The walking exclamation mark sparked a kerfuffle in the closing minutes, taking issue with Lamar Odom's physical play (ha! Blake Griffin taking issue with physical play!) and leading to the ejection of four players in total.
Lakers Vs. Clippers: Blake Griffin Sparks Comeback As Little Brother Wins In L.A.
The brouhaha did cost Griffin something, despite the Clippers' win: The rookie's streak of 20-10 performances, which had reached 14, was ended. That's ultimately peripheral; also, there's no question Griffin will pull off another string, probably starting today. The rookie got off to a really slow start, plagued by early foul trouble and overall ineffectiveness. Halftime changed things, and Griffin went as ballistic as you'd expect him to late in the third and into the fourth quarter.
Griffin got some help from his friends in the win, with Eric Gordon scoring 30 on 13-20 shooting, DeAndre Jordan grabbing 15 rebounds of his own, and Baron Davis producing eight assists. The Lakers were led by (who else?) Kobe Bryant, who scored 27 points on 8-17 shooting and a slew of free throws. Pau Gasol was largely neutralized (13 points, eight rebounds) and Derek Fisher shot 1-8.
Clips Nation’s Steve Perrin is understandably gunned up about the big win.
The Clippers have now won 9 of their last 13 games, and four of those wins have been against playoff teams. With back to back home wins against the Heat and Lakers, everyone's pre-season picks for the best two teams in the league, the Clippers are playing as well as any team in the NBA right now. Today they showed that they can grind out a win, even when things aren't going their way. A come from behind victory in the fourth quarter versus the Lakers? Suffice it to say, this is a much better Clippers team than we've seen in a long time.
C.A. Clark of Silver Screen And Roll worries that this is the beginning of a tough road for the Lakers.
It’s a tough and deflating beat for the Lakers, who will no longer have any scrubs to cut their teeth on, with the schedule about to get real tough, real fast. And the Clips get another feather in their cap. This team may not make the playoffs, but they look determined to beat all the teams that do.
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