Spurs vs. Clippers: Score, Highlights, Reaction from 2016 Regular Season

The Los Angeles Clippers downed the San Antonio Spurs by 24 points back on Nov. 5, and they followed up that effort by besting them to the tune of a 106-101 win at Staples Center on Thursday evening. 

The Clippers (22-8) have now won two in a row, while the Spurs (23-6) watched their five-game winning streak come to an end with the loss.

Chris Paul was superb with 19 points, seven rebounds and six assists in 23 minutes, but he was forced to exit midway through the third quarter with a left hamstring strain, according to the Orange County Register’s Dan Woike.

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To put those numbers in perspective, San Antonio’s starting backcourt of Tony Parker and Danny Green combined for 12 points, seven rebounds and four assists.

However, the Clippers were able to overcome Paul’s absence because Marreese Speights (14 points, seven rebounds, five assists), Jamal Crawford (11 points), Wesley Johnson (eight points, nine rebounds) and Raymond Felton (13 points) all chimed in with solid contributions off the bench in crunch time. 

The Spurs countered with 27 points, nine rebounds, five assists and two blocks from Kawhi Leonard, but he didn’t have enough help on a night when the Clippers opened up a sizable edge in the first half. 

Paul and DeAndre Jordan (11 points, nine rebounds) were at the center of attention from the outset, and their seamless connections put the home team in the driver’s seat early and often. 

L.A.’s floor general was a wizard with the ball in his hands, and his ability to dictate the flow of the offense while carving up Parker and Patty Mills allowed the Clippers to work into a steady rhythm, as the San Antonio Express-News’ Jabari Young observed: 

Yeah, #Spurs nothing for Chris Paul. He’s eating them alive. Passing, scoring, getting to the FT line. #Clippers

— Jabari Young (@JabariJYoung) December 23, 2016

Paul was on triple-double watch with 13 points, five rebounds and five assists by halftime, and one of those dimes allowed Jordan to flaunt his midair acrobatic skills. 

In the first quarter, Paul fed his springy pick-and-roll partner …

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