Starters get front row seat to CP3 show
- Updated: March 31, 2016
Chris Paul went full Chris Paul in Minnesota on Wednesday night as the Clippers cruised to a 99-79 victory against the Timberwolves.
The Clippers led from wire to wire as Paul amassed 20 points, 16 assists and eight rebounds in a vintage performance as he dazzled the crowd with his passing.
As per usual, the game opened with a J.J. Redick triple from a Paul assist and the Clippers picked up from there. A 27-17 opening term was the catalyst for the boys from L.A. as the Timberwolves managed to score 20 points in a quarter just once – the final term as the Clippers cleared their bench – as the Clippers brought their ‘A’ game defensively, producing eight steals (to two) and nine blocks (to one) while turning the ball over just seven times in the win.
As Paul Pierce sat with a right ankle sprain suffered in Monday’s win against Boston, Wesley Johnson was given the start as he shot 3-6 from the field and gathered five rebounds in 28 minutes of action. It was a balanced effort offensively for the Clippers and while the bench struggled in the second quarter, Paul was there to bail them out as he re-entered and carved up the Timberwolves defense.
For Minnesota, Karl-Anthony Towns shot 7-13 from the field for 16 points and 11 rebounds however aside from him, the box score made for a sorry sight. Ricky Rubio, Zach Lavine and Andrew Wiggins were a combined 5-24 with five rebounds and six assists.
But at the end of the day, it was Chris Paul’s night.
First he started with this:
https://vine.co/v/iDL2VDX5a9X
Then this:
https://vine.co/v/iDLEeZBDWPM
as he finished with a +/- of +34 in 31 minutes of action.
Redick finished with 17 points while Jeff Green, Austin Rivers and Jamal Crawford all finished with 10 points off the bench.
The Clippers improved to 22-15 on the road this season and 47-27 overall as they head to Oklahoma City tonight where it has been reported they will rest Chris Paul, DeAndre Jordan and J.J. Redick while Blake Griffin will return in the following game against the Wizards on Sunday.
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