Blake Griffin and Chris Paul scored 23 points apiece, and the Los Angeles Clippers manhandled the Los Angeles Lakers in the third quarter on Sunday afternoon to pull away for a 120-97 win in Staples Center.
NBA scores 2014: Clippers cruise past Lakers, 120-97
Blake Griffin and the Clippers used a big third quarter to put away the Lakers for good.
Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports
Behind 16 first-half points from Griffin, many of which came in an aggressive transition attack, the Clippers led 57-49 at the half as the Lakers rode 17 bench points from guard Nick Young and 16 from big man Jordan Hill.
Hill finished with 22 points, and point guard Kendall Marshall finished with 10 points and 11 assists. Young finished with 18, but the undermanned Lakers, who lost Kent Bazemore to a foot sprain in the game, didn't have enough firepower to keep up with the Clippers.
Doc Rivers' team outscored its opponent 37-23 in the third quarter and had shot 61 percent through the first 36 minutes -- the rout was on. The NBA's best three-point defensive team held its rivals to 23 percent shooting from deep and hit 10-of-19 shots beyond the arc itself.
When the blowout was on, Rivers' team took advantage of the fourth by building cohesion on the bench unit, rolling out a lineup that included Darren Collison, Jared Dudley, Reggie Bullock, Hedo Turkoglu and Glen Davis.
Team blogs: Silver Screen and Roll Clips Nation
Clippers guard J.J. Redick started in his second game back after returning from injury and fared better than his first outing. After going 3-for-10 on Thursday against the Mavericks, Redick went 7-for-11 from the floor to score 15 points.
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