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Griffin Rusty In Return, Clippers Win 114-109

Griffin

The playoff hopeful Washington Wizards came to Staples Center Saturday afternoon to take on the Los Angeles Clippers in what was the first sighting of Clipper star Blake Griffin on the court since Christmas. Washington, in a must win situation from here on out in order to sneak into the playoffs in the East, had plenty of incentive to win this one.

J.J. Redick and Chris Paul got the Clippers started off in this one as the duo combined for 17 points in the first quarter. Griffin played just over six minutes in the first quarter before being subbed out for Jeff Green. Griffin would get 2 points, 2 assists and 2 rebounds in the quarter and there was clearly some rust. However his first two points came in a way only he could deliver,

The first half of play would come to an end with Griffin seeing just 11 minutes of floor time which was to be expected on his first game back from injury. The rest of the squad stepped up though against a dangerous Wizards offense that just couldn’t seem to get things going in the half. Clippers would lead 60-49 by the end of the half thanks to 13 points a piece from the guard tandem of Paul and Redick and a stellar 55% field goal percentage from the team as a whole. 

The second half saw a very different Clipper team on the floor as they seemingly had all of their energy zapped at the half as it started with a 9-0 Washington run. A 13-2 Clipper run in response would lean the game back in Los Angeles’ favor and give the team a solid lead heading into the final quarter of play. 

The Wizards John Wall came to life in the final quarter of play and with some great shooting from deep from he and Bradley Beal they would keep this game close up until the final whistle. Some great shooting from Paul and Jamal Crawford late would get the Clippers far enough ahead to finish the game off with a 114-109 win. 

Griffin finished the night with 6 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Meanwhile Paul and Redick lit up the scoreboard with 27 points and 18 respectively. Paul also had 12 assists on the night to cap off a double-double. DeAndre Jordan had a double-double himself with 12 points and 12 rebounds and the Clipper bench would be led by none other than sixth man of the year candidate Crawford with 19 points. 

Blake Griffin looked rusty in his return as he didn’t seem to have the same confidence in any facet of his game that we are used to seeing from the All-Star forward. However this was expected as this isn’t a league where any player can miss months of play and return right back to the same form they left off at. With six games remaining after this one he has time to mesh with a team that found other ways to score in his absence. 

The Clippers have a back to back series with their in-building rivals the Los Angeles Lakers coming up next on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. Both games will take place at 7:30 PM PST. A great win for our Clippers in this one lets hope the rest of this season goes just as smoothly! Thanks for reading along Clipper Nation. 

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