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The Los Angeles Clippers clinched their first division title in their 42-year history with a 109-95 rout of the Los Angeles Lakers behind a 24-point, 12-assist effort from Chris Paul on Sunday. |
Blake Griffin finished with 24 points, 12 rebounds and five assists for the Clippers who ended the Lakers’ five-year run atop the Pacific Division standings.
“We did a tremendous job of starting the second half. This is my first division win, but we kind of had the mindset that this was what we’re supposed to do,” Griffin said.
The Clippers also swept the season series against rivals Lakers for the first time since 1974-75 when they were known as the Buffalo Braves. Jamal Crawford came off the bench to score 20 points for the Clippers at Staples Center arena.
Kobe Bryant had 25 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds for the Lakers, who are in a fight with the Utah Jazz for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Lakers have five games left, four of them at the Staples Center.
“Give them credit, they hit big shots, they played well. They’re very athletic, they’re long and they’re good. They were quicker to the ball than we were,” Lakers head coach Mike D’Antoni said.
Dwight Howard finished with 25 points as the Lakers had their modest three-game winning streak halted. The Memphis Grizzlies and Charlotte Bobcats are the only teams in National Basketball Association history to not win a division championship.
Elsewhere, hot-shooting Carmelo Anthony failed to score 40 or more points for the fourth straight game but the surging New York Knicks continued their late-season run. Anthony had 36 points and 12 rebounds, JR Smith scored 22, including a pair of late jumpers, as the visiting Knicks shot past Oklahoma City Thunder 125-120 for their season-high 12th straight victory.
“Everybody is playing their part and we’re winning,” said Anthony, who shot 15 of 29 from the field and jumped past the Thunder’s Kevin Durant (28.44 to 28.35) atop the scoring race.
Raymond Felton had 16 points with eight assists, Tyson Chandler netted 15 while Jason Kidd contributed 14 for the Knicks, who posted their 50th win of the season for the first time since the 1999-2000 campaign and reduced to one their magic number to clinch the Atlantic Division crown.
“Our confidence is definitely up there but we’re still not satisfied where we are at,” said Felton, whose club moved 2.5 games ahead of Indiana for the second playoff seed in the Eastern Conference behind Miami.
New York carried a 96-89 advantage entering the final quarter but suddenly trailed 111-110 on Russell Westbrook’s steal and layup with four minutes left. The Knicks, however, kept their composure and went on an 11-2 run.