Spurs wear down Clippers, extend home run to 42

The San Antonio Spurs received a big boost from their bench down the stretch to keep their home-court streak alive.
Kawhi Leonard scored 20 points and the Spurs dominated the fourth quarter to crush the LA Clippers 108-87 on Tuesday for their 42nd consecutive home win, with 33 coming this season.
LaMarcus Aldridge had 17 points, Patty Mills added 15 and Manu Ginobili contributed 13 for the Spurs (57-10), who outscored their guests 37-17 in final frame for their 18th win in the last 20 games.
“Wearing them down throughout the game and understanding that if we stuck to the game plan, then eventually they’d get tired in the fourth quarter,” the Australian Mills said. “I think it paid off for us.”
The upset-minded Clippers trailed 71-70 entering the fourth quarter, but with their leader Chris Paul resting on the bench they watched the Spurs’ backups step up to spark a game-breaking 26-9 blitz.
David West scored eight quick points, Mills had seven, opening up a 97-79 cushion with four and a half minutes left, and the Silver and Black coasted home.
“Chris needed rest but it got away from us so quick,” Clippers coach Doc Rivers said. “When he got back in it was too late.”
Paul had 22 points with eight assists, while DeAndre Jordan finished with 16 points and 14 boards for the Clippers (42-24), who failed to bounce back from Sunday’s listless 114-90 loss to Cleveland.

Elsewhere
Brooklyn Nets 131, Philadelphia 76ers 114: Bojan Bogdanovic exploded for a career-high 44 points and the Nets (19-48) snapped a four-game slide after beating the league-worst 76ers. Isaiah Canaan had 20 points for Philadelphia (9-58), which has dropped 15 of its last 16 games.
Toronto Raptors 107, Milwaukee Bucks 89: Kyle Lowry tossed in 25 points, rookie Norman Powell had a season-best 17 in place of rested top scorer DeMar DeRozan, and the visiting Raptors (45-21) completed a 4-0 season series sweep of the Bucks. Giannis Antetokounmpo had 18 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists for Milwaukee (29-39), which was outscored 55-40 in the second half.
Orlando Magic 116, Denver Nuggets 110: Frenchman Evan Fournier hit five triples en route to 30 points, while Jason Smith came off the bench to record season-highs of 25 points and 13 rebounds, sparking the Magic (29-37) past the visiting Nuggets. Gary Harris had 18 points for Denver (28-40), which rallied from 18 down in the third quarter to four midway through the final frame before losing its second in a row.
Indiana Pacers 103, Boston Celtics 98: Paul George scored 25 points, and the Pacers (36-31) went on a game-breaking 20-9 burst midway through the final quarter to beat the visiting Celtics. Isaiah Thomas had 21 points for Boston (39-28), which was knotted at 77-apiece before the hosts pulled away.
Sacramento Kings 106, LA Lakers 98: Darren Collison and DeMarcus Cousins scored 22 points apiece, and the visiting Kings (26-40) stopped a five-game skid while completing a 4-0 season sweep of the Kobe Bryant-less Lakers. Lou Williams had 17 points but Bryant sat out the game to rest his sore right shoulder, as the Lakers (14-54) moved within seven losses of matching the worst season in franchise history.