Bright day for LA as Clippers and Lakers grab wins

LOS ANGELES: The Los Angeles Clippers arrested their four-game losing skid while their city rivals the Los Angeles Lakers provided a rare bright spot in their dire season by beating the NBA-leading Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday.

The Clippers were again without star guard Chris Paul but this time his team-mates picked up the slack and beat the Portland Trail Blazers 96-83.

The Lakers stood firm in the closing stages to hold off the Thunder and win 105-96, temporarily easing the gloom around the heralded title contenders who have a disappointing 19-25 record. The defeat cost Oklahoma City the league lead, dropping below San Antonio.

In other key games, Carmelo Anthony led New York to a tight win over Atlanta and Boston had a bittersweet night, beating Miami in double overtime but learning that guard Rajon Rondo will miss the rest of the season.

In the absence of Paul, it was Blake Griffin (23 points and nine assists) and-stand-in point guard Eric Bledsoe (10 points, five assists and five rebounds) who played the key roles in the win over Portland.

All-Star forward La-Marcus Aldridge led the Trail Blazers with 21 points and 11 rebounds but the visitors were never in the contest. The Lakers beat the Thunder 105-96, with Kobe Bryant having 21 points, 14 assists and nine rebounds.

Steve Nash added seven of his 17 points in the final five minutes as the Lakers coolly maintained a small lead in the closing stages. Kevin Durant scored 35 points for roadweary Oklahoma City, who finished their longest trip of the season at 33.

The New York Knicks edged the Atlanta Hawks 106-104 thanks chiefly to the efforts of Anthony, who tied a franchise record with nine three-pointers, then converted a go-ahead, three-point play with 12.5 seconds left to cap a 42-point night.

The Hawks shot a season-high 60% from the field but had their three-game winning streak snapped when Josh Smith missed a threepointer on Atlanta’s final possession.

Amare Stoudemire and J.R. Smith each had 18 points for the Knicks, who were 16 of 27 (59%) from threepoint range. — AP