Paul hurt but Clips trounce Thunder to go 7-0 in 2017
LOS ANGELES — 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.
• Celtics 108, Hornets 98 — At Boston: Isaiah Thomas scored 17 of his 35 points in the fourth quarter, and the surging Boston Celtics beat Charlotte for their ninth victory in 11 games.
It was Thomas’ 25th straight game with 20 or more points. He’s been putting up big final quarters of late — scoring 20 or more an NBAbest three times this season.
• Hawks 108, Knicks 107 — At New York: Dennis Schroder scored 28 points, including a go-ahead 3-pointer with 22 seconds left, and Atlanta beat New York.
Tim Hardaway Jr. added 20 points and Paul Millsap had 17 for the Hawks, who won for the ninth time in 10 games to reach the midpoint of their schedule at 24-17.
• Wizards 120, Trail Blazers 101 — At Washington: Bradley Beal scored 25 points, John Wall had 24 and Washington rolled to its 12th consecutive home victory.
The Wizards, who rely less on the 3-pointer than almost any NBA team, were 13 of 23 from beyond the arc. The 3pointer-heavy Trail Blazers shot 8 of 26 on 3-point attempts.
• 76ers 113, Bucks 104 — At Milwaukee: Joel Embiid scored 12 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter, and Philadelphia won for the fourth time in five games.
• Pacers 98, Pelicans 95 — at Indianapolis: Jeff Teague had 16 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds, helping Indiana win for the fifth time in six games.
• Nuggets 125, Magic 112 — At Denver: Nikola Jokic scored a career-high 30 points, Emmanuel Mudiay dished out a career-best 13 assists and Denver followed its “home” win in London with another victory at the Pepsi Center.
• Jazz 106, Suns 101 — At Phoenix: Joe Johnson scored 10 of his 15 points in the fourth quarter, including the go-ahead 3-pointer with 49.8 seconds to play, and Utah made it seven in a row over Phoenix.