The Los Angeles Clippers beat the San Antonio Spurs 114-105 in Game 4 of the Western Conference quarterfinals, responding to their 27-point blowout loss in Game 3. Chris Paul led the Clippers with 34 points and 7 assists. Blake Griffin finished with 20 points and 19 rebounds (10 in the 4th quarter). Kawhi Leonard had a team-high 28 points for the Spurs.
The Clippers shot over 50 percent from the field for the game, and they’ve done so in both games that they won in this series.
Game 4 started with a 6-0 run by the Clippers, then a 6-0 response by the Spurs. But the Clippers had a visible edge to them after being blown out in Game 3. They were active, alert, and Chris Paul set the tone for their offensive pace. Kawhi Leonard scored 8 points, DeAndre Jordan grabbed 8 rebounds, and the Clippers had 10 assists on 12 makes in the opening quarter: 25-25.
In the second quarter, Austin Rivers (16 points) scored 7 points in his first six minutes to give the Clippers bench a big boost, even though the Spurs bench had a 24-13 advantage at halftime. Chris Paul and J.J. Redick each finished the half with 12 points. Kawhi Leonard had 11 points at the half. DeAndre Jordan had 11 rebounds and the Clippers won the quarter 26-22 to have a 51-47 lead at halftime.
There were 18 lead changes through three quarters. The Spurs evened the score during the third quarter, but the Clippers kept their foot on the gas with dominant play from their best players. Blake Griffin scored 10 of his 20 points in the third quarter. The Clippers increased their scoring total every quarter, from 25 in the first to 33 in the fourth. They earned an early 10-point lead in the fourth quarter and their largest lead reached to 14 points with 3:29 remaining.
The Clippers only shot 5-of-18 from the three-point line but the Spurs went 6-for-25. The Spurs won the bench scoring battle 39-33, but still an improvement for the Clipper bench which had been outscored by 67 points by the Spurs’ reserves through the first three games.
Game 5 of Clippers-Spurs will be on Tuesday on TNT.
