NBA: Fred VanVleet puts up 31 points, as Raptors top Clippers

Fred VanVleet scored 31 points and dished out 9 assists as the host Toronto Raptors defeated the undermanned Los Angeles Clippers 116-108 Friday night.

Pascal Siakam added 25 points and matched his career best with 19 rebounds for the Raptors, who had lost their 2 previous games.

The Raptors had most of their players back from health and safety protocol, a list that had reached 10 last weekend.

OG Anunoby had 26 points and Gary Trent Jr. scored 10 for Toronto.

Marcus Morris Sr. scored 20 points for the Clippers, who have lost 3 of their past 4. Terance Mann added 18 points and 11 rebounds, Reggie Jackson scored 17, Amir Coffey had 15 and Luke Kennard scored 13.

The Raptors led by as many as 15 points during the 1st quarter, but the Clippers took a 5-point lead into the 4th.

The Raptors cut the deficit to 1 point on Anunoby's running dunk with 9:19 to play in the contest, and his 3-pointer gave Toronto a 2-point lead 32 seconds later.

The game was tied at 101 after Morris hit a jumper with 4:34 remaining.

Toronto led by 4 with 1:34 remaining after Chris Boucher sank 2 free throws and Siakam dunked. Mann answered with a 3-pointer, but VanVleet made a layup and then a 3-pointer to increase the lead to 6 with 25.2 seconds to go.

Toronto led 32-29 after the 1st quarter on the strength of an 18-0 run in an arena that was empty because of COVID-19 restrictions.

The Clippers scored the first 5 points of the 2nd quarter. Toronto pulled out to a 5-point lead, but Jackson's 3-pointer capped a 13-2 run to complete the 1st-half scoring and give the Clippers a 62-56 lead.

VanVleet scored 6 straight points, including a layup that tied the game with 3:41 to play in the 3rd quarter. The Clippers responded with an 8-1 run, and they led 87-82 after 3 quarters.

Los Angeles' Brandon Boston Jr., Ivica Zubac and coach Tyronn Lue (COVID-19 protocol) missed the game. Brian Shaw coached the Clippers.

Scottie Barnes (knee tendinitis) was out for Toronto.

There was a video tribute to the Clippers' Serge Ibaka, a former Raptor, during the first quarter.

-reuters-

NBA: Deandre Ayton's last-second dunk lifts Suns over Clippers

Deandre Ayton made a go-ahead alley-oop dunk off an inbound pass with 0.7 seconds remaining as the Phoenix Suns earned a 104-103 victory over the visiting Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday to take a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference finals.

Cameron Payne scored a career-high 29 points for the Suns, and Ayton contributed 24 points and 14 rebounds. Devin Booker scored 20 points, playing after getting his nose bloodied late in the third quarter and receiving stitches.

The Suns increased their playoff winning streak to nine games.

Payne stepped up to make 12 of 24 shots from the field and had nine assists with no turnovers. 

He was starting at point guard for the second consecutive game with Chris Paul in health and safety protocol after he reportedly tested positive for COVID-19.

Paul George scored 26 points and Reggie Jackson added 19 for the Clippers, who fell behind 2-0 in their third consecutive series. 

They rallied to defeat the Dallas Mavericks in the first round and came back against the top-seeded Utah Jazz in the conference semifinals.

George missed a pair of free throws with 8.2 seconds remaining that gave the Suns a chance to win the game.

The Clippers were playing their fourth consecutive playoff game without forward Kawhi Leonard, who is out due to a sprained right knee.

Game 3 is set for Thursday night in Los Angeles, where the Clippers have won their past four after losing their first three home contests to Dallas.

The teams traded the lead multiple times in the final minute. The Clippers took a 101-100 advantage with 30.9 seconds remaining on a layup by George that came after Ivica Zubac blocked Payne's layup attempt. Zubac had 14 points and 11 rebounds for the Clippers.

Booker put the Suns back in front 102-101 on a contested jump shot from the elbow of the key with 27 seconds remaining, but George answered with an 18-foot jump shot for a 103-102 lead with 22.2 seconds left.

After Patrick Beverley forced Booker into a turnover with 9.3 seconds remaining, George could have given the Clippers a three-point advantage, but he missed two free throws. He was 5 of 10 from the line in the game.

Mikal Bridges missed a 3-point attempt with 3.3 seconds remaining that would have given the Suns the lead, but the Clippers tipped the ball out of bounds with under a second left. 

Jae Crowder then lobbed the inbound pass toward the rim, with Ayton slamming down the game-winning basket.

Los Angeles could not get off another shot before the final horn sounded.

-reuters-

NBA: Kawhi Leonard pours in 31 as Clippers clobber Rockets

Kawhi Leonard scored 31 points and dished out eight assists Friday as the Los Angeles Clippers earned their fourth victory in a row, a 126-109 decision over the visiting Houston Rockets.

Reggie Jackson finished with 26 points, Nicolas Batum added 17 and Terance Mann totaled 16 points and nine rebounds for Los Angeles. Clippers forward Paul George didn't play as the team gave him a rest following consecutive 30-plus-point outings, and Rajon Rondo (adductor soreness) also sat out.

Houston had six players in double figures, led by Christian Wood with 23 points. 

Jae'Sean Tate finished with 18 points, Sterling Brown added 15, Kevin Porter Jr. totaled 14 points and 13 assists, Kenyon Martin Jr. added 14 points and Kelly Olynyk contributed 13 points and 11 rebounds.

The Rockets, who lost for the sixth time in seven games, rested John Wall ahead of a Saturday game against the Golden State Warriors in San Francisco. Wall has a lingering left Achilles injury.

The Clippers trailed by 10 points after the first quarter as the Rockets came out with energy.

However, Los Angeles outscored Houston 41-10 in the second quarter to take a 21-point lead into halftime, and the Clippers never fell behind again.

The 10 points were the fewest the Clippers have given up in a quarter this season and the fewest Houston has scored in a second quarter this year.

The Rockets cut Los Angeles' advantage to five points on D.J. Augustin's 3-pointer with 7:07 left in the game. 

The Clippers responded by scoring the next eight points to push their lead back to double digits, and they held off the Rockets the rest of the way.

The Clippers had to adjust the starting lineup with the team announcing that Patrick Beverley sustained a fractured left hand that required surgery. 

Beverley, who will be out at least three weeks, was hurt chasing down a rebound in the fourth quarter of L.A.'s win over the Phoenix Suns on Thursday.

With Beverley unavailable, Jackson returned to the starting lineup at point guard, and he finished 6 of 9 from 3-point range.

-reuters-

NBA: Warriors rally to stun Clippers behind Stephen Curry’s 38

Stephen Curry scored 38 points and the Golden State Warriors used a 34-6 flurry bridging the third and fourth quarters to stun the visiting Los Angeles Clippers 115-105 on Friday night in San Francisco.

In the rematch of a Clippers win on Wednesday night, the Warriors used 20 3-pointers -- including nine by Curry -- to prevent a two-game sweep.

Paul George had a team-high 25 points and Kawhi Leonard 24 for Los Angeles, which had won its first three games at the 2-year-old Chase Center, including a pair of blowouts last season.

The Warriors trailed by 14 at halftime and 85-63 late in the third period before a 3-pointer by Curry at the 3:04 mark of the quarter turned the tide.

Curry capped a 19-point quarter with a 29-footer in the final seconds to get Golden State within 87-81. 

When Damion Lee, Eric Paschall and Kent Bazemore added 3s of their own early in the fourth period, suddenly Golden State had taken a 97-91 lead.

Los Angeles never led again but did forge a 97-all tie on back-to-back 3-pointers by Luke Kennard and Serge Ibaka, the latter with 7:09 to play.

But Brad Wanamaker countered with a pair of 3-pointers for the Warriors and Andrew Wiggins hit a key hoop after the Clippers had rallied within a point one last time, sending Golden State to its third win in its last four games.

Held to a season-low 13 points in Wednesday's loss, Curry hit 13 of his 24 shots and nine of his 14 3-point attempts in the third 30-point effort in his last four games.

Curry also found time for a game-high 11 assists.

Wiggins finished with 16 points and Paschall 12 off the bench for the Warriors, who shot 20-for-41 on 3-pointers and outscored the Clippers 60-42 from beyond the arc.

Ibaka had 19 points and Nicolas Batum 10 for the Clippers, who hurt themselves with 18 turnovers.

Ibaka was the game's leading rebounder with seven.

The Clippers took charge immediately, using 8-for-15 shooting on 3-pointers to build a 65-51 halftime lead. George hit all four of the 3-pointers he attempted en route to 17 points.

George's second 3-pointer capped a 24-7, game-opening run. Batum also had a 3-pointer in the fast start.

-reuters-

Clippers win in OT as Suns drop 9th straight

Tobias Harris had 33 points and eight rebounds, and the visiting Los Angeles Clippers ended a two-game losing streak with a 123-119 win over Phoenix Suns on Monday.

Danilo Gallinari scored 25 points and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 16 for the Clippers.

Deandre Ayton contributed 20 points and 12 rebounds, and Richaun Holmes (19), Mikal Bridges (19) and Josh Jackson (18) all scored their season highs for the Suns, who have lost nine straight.

Phoenix never led in overtime. Troy Daniels tied the game 119-119 with 51.3 seconds left on a reverse layup, but Patrick Beverley made two free throws with 33.3 seconds left and Avery Bradley sank two more with 1.6 seconds remaining for the final margin.

Phoenix's De'Anthony Melton made a step-back 9-footer from the baseline to tie the score at 111-111 with 5.5 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Gallinari then missed a long, heavily contested try at the buzzer.

The Clippers took an 88-86 lead into the fourth quarter, the same two-point advantage they brought into halftime. 

However, the Suns bridged an 11-3 run from the third quarter and into the fourth to take a 95-91 lead with 9:26 left, their biggest margin since early in the second quarter.

Phoenix went up 104-95 on a basket by Holmes with 7:09 remaining, but that would be the last field goal until Bridges made a 3-pointer with 1:16 left to end a 12-0 run by Los Angeles and pull the Suns within 109-108.

The only time the Suns led in the third quarter was when Holmes made two free throws with 1:07 lead for an 84-83 advantage, but Milos Teodosic sank an 18-foot jumper on the other end to put the Clippers back ahead.

The Clippers didn't hold a lead until Beverley scored with 7:59 left in the first half for a 37-35 advantage.

Suns leading scorer Devin Booker (23.5 points per game) missed his fourth consecutive game due to a hamstring injury. Second-leading scorer T.J. Warren (17.7 ppg) returned under restricted minutes after missing the previous five games with an ankle injury. He scored six points in 12 minutes.

Lou Williams, the third-leading scorer for the Clippers (17.6 ppg), left midway through the second quarter with a sore left hamstring and did not return. He scored seven points in 12 minutes off the bench.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

NBA: Backcourt boosts Blazers past Clippers

Guards Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum combined for 48 points as the Portland Trail Blazers downed the visiting Los Angeles Clippers 116-105 Thursday night.

Lillard scored 25 points and McCollum added 23 as the Trail Blazers earned their third consecutive win and their sixth in the past seven outings. Jusuf Nurkic contributed 16 points and nine rebounds.

Danilo Gallinari and Lou Williams each scored 20 points for the Clippers. Montrezl Harrell and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander both chipped in 19 points, and Tobias Harris had 15 points and 11 rebounds for the losers.

Lillard had 14 points and McCollum 12 as the Blazers took a 61-57 advantage into halftime. Gilgeous-Alexander and Harrell each had 12 for the Clippers.

Portland extended the difference to 81-70 on a 3-pointer by Lillard seven minutes into the third quarter. The Clippers used a 7-0 run to draw within 81-77 late in the quarter. The Blazers held an 84-81 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

The Blazers opened the final period on a 14-4 run to go ahead 98-85 with 7:21 remaining. The Clippers scored five in a row to cut it to 98-90 with 6:35 to go.

Williams scored on a driving layup to draw the Clippers within 105-97 with 4:18 left. Gallinari sank a pair at the line to make it 105-99 with 3:57 to play.

McCollum made a pair of free throws to give Portland a 107-99 advantage with 3:07 remaining. Gallinari scored on a rebound basket to cut it to 107-101 with 2:50 to go.

Nurkic scored inside to increase the margin to 109-101, but Gilgeous-Alexander answered with two at the line to make it 109-103 with 1:57 remaining.

McCollum's 3-pointer increased Portland's lead to 112-103 with 1:43 to play. The Clippers got no closer than seven points the rest of the way.

Lillard, McCollum and Nurkic scored eight points apiece as the Blazers jumped to a 24-20 lead. Portland carried a 37-28 advantage into the second quarter.

The Clippers went ahead 54-52 on a driving layup by Williams with 3:05 left in the second period. Portland took a four-point lead into the halftime break.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

NBA: Davis nets 34 as Pelicans beat Clippers, stay unbeaten

Anthony Davis had 34 points and 13 rebounds as the host New Orleans Pelicans continued their early-season roll with a 116-109 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday night.

The Clippers held the Pelicans to 24 fewer points than they had averaged in winning their first two games, but New Orleans still improved to 3-0 for the first time since the 2010-11 season.

Elfrid Payton added 20 points, Nikola Mirotic had 18 points and 12 rebounds, Julius Randle scored 18 points off the bench, and E'Twaun Moore chipped in 14 points.

Tobias Harris led Los Angeles with 26 points, Danilo Gallinari scored 24, Lou Williams added 17 off the bench and Montrezl Harrell and Patrick Beverley had 12 each.

The Clippers led by three points at halftime, but they had trouble scoring for much of the third quarter.

Davis, Mirotic and Payton scored six points each as the Pelicans had a 25-8 run during the first eight minutes of the third to take an 84-70 lead.

In the last four minutes, Los Angeles scored 14 points, nine of which were scored by Williams, to cut New Orleans' lead to 91-84 at the end of the period.

The Pelicans built the lead to 11 midway through the fourth quarter before Gallinari, Beverley and Williams all made a basket to pull the Clippers within 103-98 with five minutes remaining.

Davis made back-to-back baskets, but Harris scored four straight to get Los Angeles within 107-102 with two minutes left.

After Davis hit a 3-pointer, Harris made two free throws, but Payton added a 3-pointer to give New Orleans a 113-104 lead with 52 seconds remaining.

The Pelicans scored fewer than 30 points in a quarter for the first time this season in the first quarter, but still held a 27-26 lead.

Davis and Mirotic each scored four points early and Randle scored 10 of New Orleans' final 13 points in the period.

The Clippers scored eight of the first nine points in the second quarter and led by six on three occasions.

The Pelicans pulled even before Gallinari made two free throws and Beverley made a 3-pointer to give Los Angeles a five-point lead.

The Clippers, who set a club record by making all 26 of their free throws in a victory a against Houston on Sunday night, made nine of their last 10 free throws in the second quarter and took a 62-59 halftime lead.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Warriors bounce back from loss to defeat Clippers

LOS ANGELES -- Reigning NBA champions Golden State Warriors bounced back from losing for only the fifth time this season for an emotional 115-112 road victory Saturday over the Los Angeles Clippers.

Klay Thompson scored 32 points while Stephen Curry added 23 points and nine assists, and Draymond Green contributed 18 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists to lead the Warriors, who own the NBA's best record at 49-5.

The Warriors are chasing the all-time best record in league history, the 72-10 mark of the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls.

A night after losing 137-105 at Portland, the worst blowout defeat by a defending champion in nearly a decade, the Warriors had 32 assists and only 14 turnovers. At Portland they had 20 turnovers, 13 in the third quarter alone.

"The electricity in this building got us up," Thompson said. "We didn't have 13 in one quarter. The 30 assists, that's crazy. It's a testament to how unselfish we are."

The Warriors pulled their starters with a 16-point lead in the final minutes and the Clippers responded with a 13-0 run to pull within 115-112 with 5.1 seconds remaining.

A Golden State turnover on the inbounds pass gave C.J. Wilcox a shot at a tying 3-pointer, but he missed at the final buzzer.

"We got careless with the ball," Thompson said. "We've got to learn from it, learn it's a 48-minute game and no matter whoever is out there to never stop fighting."

At Miami, Britain's Luol Deng scored 27 points to lead the Miami Heat over Washington 114-94. Playing without top scorers Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade for the second consecutive game, the Heat never trailed after scoring 11 unanswered points for a 15-5 lead with 6:54 remaining in the first period.

Center Hassan Whiteside returned from a one-game suspension and scored a career-high 25 points with 22 rebounds for Miami.

Carmelo Anthony scored 30 points and had 11 rebounds while Robin Lopez tied season highs with 26 points and 16 rebounds to spark the New York Knicks over host Minnesota 103-95. Arron Afflalo and Lance Thomas each scored 11 points for New York, which ended a seven-game losing streak.

Karl-Anthony Towns and guard Andrew Wiggins led the Timberwolves with 24 points while Ricky Rubio passed out 16 assists.

Jabari Parker scored a career-high 28 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to lift the Milwaukee Bucks over host Atlanta 117-109 in double overtime.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

California court tosses Sterling case against Clippers sale

A California court has ruled that the sale of the Los Angeles Clippers last year was legal, quashing former owner Donald Sterling's attempt to reverse the deal triggered by controversy over his racist remarks.

A three-justice panel of California's Court of Appeal ruled that Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Levanas had not erred in approving the $2 billion sale of the team to former Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer.

The sale came following a threat by the NBA to take control of the franchise after Sterling was banned for life for making racist comments which were secretly recorded by a former girlfriend.

Shelly Sterling, the 81-year-old tycoon's estranged wife, took control of the family trust and oversaw the sale following the controversy.

Donald Sterling had attempted to argue the deal was invalid as he had already revoked the trust before the sale in July 2014.

But in an 18-page ruling, Justice Madeleine Flier said Sterling's claim was of no importance.

"Assuming Donald effectively revoked the trust on June 9, 2014, Donald fails to demonstrate such revocation precluded the probate court from authorizing the trustee to sell the Clippers in accordance with the terms of an agreement established prior to Donald's revocation," Flier wrote.

Flier said Sterling's wife, Shelly Sterling, had acted in the best interests of the trust's beneficiaries when she sold the team for an amount higher than she and her advisers thought possible.

"The amount caused Donald to congratulate (Shelly,)" Flier noted. The $2 billion price tag was around $400 million more than the sale had been expected to raise.

Donald Sterling filed for divorce from Shelly Sterling in August.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

To Clippers' delight, Rivers more than just coach's kid

LOS ANGELES - Austin Rivers has gone from the 'coach's kid' to proving he belongs with the championship contending Los Angeles Clippers.

A flurry of jump shots and a blur of drives to the basket sparked the coach's son to 15 of his playoff-high 25 points during a defining third quarter as the Clippers beat the Houston Rockets on Friday.

The performance left the Staples Center crowd chanting Austin's name and his father and coach, Doc Rivers, suppressing a smile as the Clippers took a 2-1 lead in their best of seven Western Conference semi-final series.

The teams play again on Sunday in Los Angeles.

"It was so much fun out there," the younger Austin, a guard, said after coming off the bench.

"I've worked so hard this summer and this season with (Doc) and my team mates. I have to keep going and never get too high or too low."

His outburst was an undeniable high, so much so that Clippers point guard Chris Paul approached Doc Rivers and told him he had permission to be a dad and not just the team's coach.

"I told him 'you can put the other hat on for a second,' " Paul said.

"You see that during the game and (I thought about my own parents). As a team we talk about it all the time - it has to be an odd dynamic to be coach, dad and son."

That dynamic is one they have tried to downplay since the Clippers acquired Austin in a January deal with New Orleans.

He became the first player in NBA history to play for his father, and his performance has been a referendum on Doc's decision to bring him on.

But until Friday the reviews had been mixed, as the 22-year-old guard can be unpredictable and erratic.

In the closing minute of a Game Two loss to the Rockets on Wednesday, Austin slipped and lost the ball on a play that led to taunts across the country.

But he has been pivotal in the playoffs, averaging nine points and shooting 48 percent from the field.

He is gaining the confidence of his team and fan base, even if his coach is not willing to turn into a doting father just yet.

"Yeah, you want (Austin to do well) but they're all my sons," Doc Rivers said. (Editing by Gene Cherry)

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com