Hornets-Clippers Preview

By MATT BEARDMORE
Posted Apr 21 2012 3:36PM

Blake Griffin has delivered many exciting dunks this season.

The Los Angeles Clippers are not thrilled about how they've made the All-Star forward a target for some opponents.

One of them was New Orleans Hornets big man Jason Smith.

Griffin takes on Smith again as the playoff-bound Clippers continue their push for the Pacific Division title Sunday night in Los Angeles, where they could face former teammate Eric Gordon for the first time since the Chris Paul trade.

While Griffin has been instrumental to the team's success, the Clippers (39-24) likely need him to stay healthy if they're going to make any noise in their first playoff appearance since 2006.

Los Angeles is fearful that opponents are getting more physical with their star forward in order to stay off his slam-dunk highlight reel.

A night after Oklahoma City center Kendrick Perkins hit him in the face - possibly retribution for Griffin dunking over him in the teams' previous meeting - the Clippers forward was sent flying to the floor by Smith on March 22. The Hornets center delivered a body check with 4:06 left in the 97-90 home win over the Clippers, getting assessed a flagrant foul 2 and later a two-game suspension.

It's uncertain if the league will deliver a similar punishment to Phoenix center Robin Lopez after he sent Griffin to the floor with a flagrant foul in the fourth quarter of Thursday's 93-90 victory over Los Angeles.

The Clippers are tired of watching one of their franchise players taking such big hits.

"The league has got to do something to protect this kid," coach Vinny Del Negro said. "... The kid is in pain right now."

Griffin said afterward that his neck was sore, but there has been no word if he will be available Sunday when the Clippers close their home schedule. He's averaged 15.0 points in three games this week - more than five below his season mark - and has totaled six second-half points over the last two.

The Clippers, winners of 13 of 16, are one-half game behind the Los Angeles Lakers for the Pacific lead and the third seed in the Western Conference. The Clippers have a game in hand on the Lakers, who host Oklahoma City on Sunday, but lost the season series tiebreaker.

The Hornets (20-43) have long been out of the playoff picture, but they've won seven of 10 to pull into a tie with Sacramento for the worst record in the West.

"A lot of people expected us to tank, but you've got to play for the fans and give them something to look forward to next year," Gordon said Thursday after scoring 27 points in the Hornets' home finale - a 105-99 overtime victory over Houston.

Gordon may finally get his first crack at the Clippers after missing the previous two meetings - including a 97-85 road loss March 26 - but it's uncertain if coach Monty Williams will make him available. He's played just eight games this season following arthroscopic right knee surgery.

Griffin and Paul lead Los Angeles with 41 points apiece against the Hornets this season.

Paul has posted double-doubles in four straight home games and nine of 10.

The Clippers have won 10 of 11 at Staples Center - the only loss came to the Lakers - and they've won two straight at home in this series after losing the previous seven times the Hornets were in town.

Clippers beat Hornets 107-98 for 2nd straight win

By BETH HARRIS
Posted Apr 23 2012 1:47AM

LOS ANGELES (AP) The Los Angeles Clippers were ragged for the first 40 minutes. They got it together for the final eight, long enough to pull out a victory in their last home game of the regular season.

Chris Paul had 33 points and 13 assists, Randy Foye hit three of his six 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, and the Clippers rallied for a 107-98 victory over the New Orleans Hornets on Sunday night to move within a half-game of the Lakers for the Pacific Division lead and the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference.

"We needed this game a lot more than they did," Mo Williams said. "We want to get the home-court advantage. It's very important to us."

Foye scored 24 points, and Blake Griffin had 21 points and 15 rebounds in the Clippers' 40th victory - their most since the 2006-07 team won that many. Paul made 17 of 19 free throws, while Griffin hit 7 of 9.

"We got to keep fighting," Paul said. "We got to win one more to lock up home court."

Eric Gordon scored 17 points and Al-Farouq Aminu added 14 against their former team. They were part of the trade that sent Paul to the Clippers before the season.

Gordon was playing against the Clippers for the first time, having missed most of the season after right knee surgery.

"I'm way past the trade," he said. "It was a good experience coming back here and playing in front of the fans. I played here for three years and had good years here."

Jason Smith added 13 points while getting booed whenever he scored by Clippers fans still angry over his flagrant foul on Griffin last month. The two were facing each other for the first time since Smith was ejected and suspended two games.

Mo Williams was called for a flagrant 1 foul on Gordon in the second quarter of a game bogged down by 58 fouls between the teams.

Hornets coach Monty Williams had sharp words for Griffin.

"I thought some of the calls just didn't go our way and our guys didn't give into that. It's hard to play against all the flopping and nonsense that goes on with that team," he said.

"Who is the common denominator with all this fluff going on around the league? Blake Griffin. We don't dunk, we don't stare at people, we play the game the same way every night. ... But all the extra stuff, we've never been about that."

Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro said, "I don't think we flop."

The win didn't come easy against the West's worst team.

The Clippers blew an 11-point lead in the first quarter and fell behind by 13 in the fourth before eventually winning their second in a row and 11th of their last 12 at home.

"The last eight minutes turned it up on the defensive end, we got stops and we were able to get out in transition," Paul said. "Our bench came in and was huge."

After Griffin's technical for complaining about a foul call, Foye hit back-to-back 3-pointers to draw the Clippers to 91-90 with 4:05 remaining.

"It was more the way I was playing defense," Foye said. "E.G. is a tough cover. I was just locked in. I always shot the 3 ball pretty well, but not like this."

Foye made two free throws that cut the Clippers' deficit to one.

Paul was fouled by Greivis Vasquez on a 3-point attempt, and he made all three accompanied by chants of "MVP! MVP!" to put the Clippers ahead 95-93.

Gordon turned the ball over and Griffin responded with a two-handed dunk for a 100-95 lead as the Clippers went on to put it away.

Gordon, Aminu and Marco Belinelli combined on three straight turnovers to end the game.

"I don't think we played very well," Del Negro said. "Our effort, our energy, our attitude and our intensity were not good for about 40 minutes and then in the last eight minutes or so Reggie (Evans) came in and gave us a huge boost. We were able to gut it out."

The referees originally called Vasquez for a flagrant 2 foul against Evans in the closing minutes before revising it to a personal foul.

"Reggie is a tough guy, I turned around and he hit me hard," Vasquez said. "I was like `Come on, man.' But it's nothing personal."

Williams said, "They put Reggie Evans in the game for one reason, and that's to come in and hit people. It's hard to play against that. I'm not going to retract that. That's what happened."

The Hornets dominated the third quarter, outscoring the Clippers 32-17 in taking their first lead since the start of the game. Aminu had 12 points in the period against the team that drafted him two years ago. Paul scored 11 of the Clippers' 17 points and they trailed by 10 going into the fourth.

Foye hit three 3-pointers in the first. The Hornets began catching up with a 12-6 run that ended the quarter with them trailing 32-27.

NOTES: Asked about his neck, Griffin said, "Once I got loose and got going it was good." ... Del Negro suggested Phoenix C Robin Lopez should have been suspended for his flagrant 2 foul on Griffin last Thursday. He said Griffin is still in pain after Lopez hooked him by the neck on a breakaway layup attempt. "To me it doesn't make a lot of sense when a player gets a flagrant 2 and he's able to play and the other player is still in pain," Del Negro said before the game. "To me what makes sense is that player doesn't play until that player is healthy and playing. ... The league needs to step up and do something in terms of making a statement, not just for Blake but for any player." ... Clippers F Caron Butler didn't return after sustaining a left hip contusion late in the first quarter. ... Clippers G Nick Young missed the game because of flulike symptoms. ... Evans returned after missing two games with the flu. ... Center DeAndre Jordan and Butler addressed the crowd before the game, thanking them for their support. "We'll see you guys in the playoffs," Jordan said to cheers.

Notebook: Clippers 107, Hornets 98

Posted Monday April 23, 2012 1:18AM

By Dan Arritt, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: The Clippers didn't quite upstage the Lakers in their electrifying comeback earlier in the day at Staples Center, but they pulled the rug from under the Hornets just the same, following Most Valuable Player candidate Chris Paul to a 107-98 victory Sunday night in their final home game of the regular season.

QUOTABLE: "I'd rather have a championship than MVP any day."
-- Paul

THE STAT: Paul, playing against his former team, finished with 33 points, 13 assists and a season-high eight steals. He had 13 points, four assists and five steals in the fourth quarter, when the Clippers outscored New Orleans, 33-14. Paul is the first player on the Clippers to have at least eight steals in a game since Malik Sealy in March 1997.

TURNING POINT: Trailing by 13 points with just over 11 minutes remaining, the Clippers began chipping away. Randy Foye made back-to-back 3-pointers to cut the deficit to one and Paul gave the Clippers the lead for good by making three free throws with 3:12 remaining. Just for comparison, the Lakers trailed by 17 points with 10 1/2 minutes remaining earlier in the day against the visiting Thunder before winning in double overtime and maintaining their half-game edge over the Clippers in the Pacific Division.

HOT: Foye shot 6-for-12 from beyond the 3-point stripe, including 3-for-4 in the final quarter, and scored 24 points. Foye has made five or more 3-pointers in four of the last 14 games. Foye has hit at least one 3-pointer in 21 straight games, the second-longest streak in the NBA. Jameer Nelson of Orlando came into the day with the longest active streak at 33 games, but played just two minutes in a loss to the Nuggets before leaving with a calf injury.

NOT: Clippers reserve guard Mo Williams was on the opposite end of the thermostat. He shot 3-for-13, including 0-for-5 from 3-point range, and finished with nine points. Take away Foye's shooting and the Clippers were 1-for-16 on 3-pointers.

GOOD MOVE: During the decisive fourth-quarter run, Paul stole the ball from Greivis Vasquez in the backcourt. While in a sitting position near the free-throw line, he threw a two-handed pass back over his head to a cutting Eric Bledsoe, who slammed the ball through the hoop to cut the deficit to 89-82 with 6:09 remaining.

BAD MOVE: Clippers reserve forward Reggie Evans probably won't win an Academy Award for his flop late in the game after taking an elbow from Vasquez at midcourt. As Evans laid flat on his back, Vasquez was originally given a Flagrant 2 foul, but after the officials reviewed the video and Evans' acting job, they took away the flagrant and just gave Vasquez a personal foul, which was his sixth.

QUOTABLE II: "Our effort, our energy, our attitude and our intensity were not good for about 40 minutes and then in the last eight minutes or so, Reggie {Evans] came in and gave us a huge boost, Eric Bledsoe picked it up and Randy Foye made some huge shots. Obviously, Chris [Paul] was all over the place and causing havoc."
-- Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro.

NOTABLE: Clippers starting small forward Caron Butler left the game in the first half with a hip contusion after colliding with a courtside cameraman. Nick Young also did not play due to flu-like symptoms. ... The Clippers took a season-high 43 free throws and made a season-best 34. ... In his first game against the Clippers since he was traded to New Orleans in the Paul deal, Eric Gordon scored 17 points on 4-for-13 shooting and committed a team-high six turnovers. ... New Orleans came into the game having allowed opponents to score 30 or more points in a quarter just 29 times. The Clippers scored 32 points in the first quarter and 33 in the fourth. ... Marco Bellini went 0-for-3 from 3-point range, ending a streak of 15 straight games with at least one 3-pointer.

UP NEXT: For the Clippers, Tuesday @ Atlanta, Wednesday @ New York. For the Hornets, Tuesday @ Golden State, Thursday @ Houston.

• Hornets: Jack, Okafor
• Clippers: Billups, Leslie

• Hornets: Ayon, Smith
• Clippers: Griffin, Martin

• Lead Changes: 6
• Times Tied: 4

• Arena: Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
• Officials: #10 Ron Garretson, #47 Bennie Adams, #72 J.T. Orr
• Attendance: 19060
• Duration: 2:36