Paul hurt but Clippers trounce Thunder to go 7-0 in 2017
The Associated Press - January 17, 2017 8:31 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) – J.J. Redick scored 20 points, DeAndre Jordan had 19 points and 15 rebounds, and the streaking Los Angeles Clippers overcame Chris Paul’s injury to defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder 120-98 on Monday night.
The banged-up Clippers tied a franchise record for their best start to a calendar year at 7-0. The team began 1974 with the same mark when the club was located in Buffalo.
Los Angeles owns the NBA’s longest active winning streak despite being without injured star Blake Griffin. Paul sprained his left thumb in the second quarter of this one and didn’t return.
Still, the Clippers shot 55 percent and improved to 16-0 when hitting 50 percent or better. They were dominant in the paint, outscoring the Thunder 62-34.
Russell Westbrook scored 24 points on 7-of-19 shooting in three quarters for the Thunder, the last team to beat the Clippers, on New Year’s Eve, before the calendar turned and their winning streak began. He was the only starter in double figures for Oklahoma City.
