Paul, Griffin lead Clippers over Raptors
LOS ANGELES — Chris Paul had 26 points and 12 assists, Blake Griffin also scored 26 and the Los Angeles Clippers beat the Toronto Raptors 123-115 on Monday night in a matchup of early-season division leaders.
DeAndre Jordan added 17 points and 15 rebounds for the Clippers, who snapped a four-game losing streak to Toronto and improved to an NBA-best 13-2 with their 10th victory in 11 games.
J.J. Redick scored 20 points for Los Angeles. Jamal Crawford had 12 and Luc Mbah a Moute chipped in with 10.
The Clippers led by 17 in the second half but the Raptors cut the margin to 119115 on a 3-pointer by Kyle Lowry with less than a minute to play. Redick made four free throws down the stretch to seal it.
Lowry led Toronto with 27 points and DeMar DeRozan, averaging 31.4 points per game, added 25. Jonas Valanciunas scored 15 for the Raptors.
• Grizzlies 105, Hornets 90 — At Charlotte, N.C.: Mike Conley had 31 points, Marc Gasol flirted with a tripledouble and Memphis defeated Charlotte for its fifth straight win.
Conley had five 3-pointers and shot 11 of 21 from the field, including a long 3 with 4 minutes left that thwarted Charlotte’s fourth-quarter rally and sent the crowd streaming toward the exits.
Gasol was dominant in the first half and finished with 13 points, nine assists and eight rebounds. The Grizzlies led by 24 at halftime after shooting 58 percent from the field, including 10 of 16 from 3point range.
• 76ers 101, Heat 94 — At Philadelphia: Joel Embiid had 22 points, including four late free throws, to lead Philadelphia over Miami.
Gerald Henderson added 19 points and Jahlil Okafor had 15 for the 76ers, who won their fourth straight home game. Philadelphia (4-10) has lost 21 in a row on the road.
Hassan Whiteside set a career high with 32 points for the Heat while reaching double digits in rebounds for the 13th consecutive game to start the season. Whiteside, who entered leading the NBA with 16.2 boards per game, finished with 13.
• Wizards 106, Suns 101 — At Washington: Bradley Beal scored a career-high 42 points and John Wall shook off an awful shooting night with seven key points down the stretch as Washington beat Phoenix.
Beal, who scored 34 points in Saturday’s loss to Miami, had 12 points in the third quarter and 14 in the fourth. He shot 14 for 22 and hit five of his 10 3-point attempts.
Wall, who also scored 34 on Saturday, finished with 18 this time. He shot just 6 for 24 but converted a three-point play with 1:08 remaining to give Washington a 102-101 lead.
• Rockets 99, Pistons 96 — At Auburn Hills, Mich.: James Harden had 28 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds to lift Houston over Detroit.
Clint Capela added 15 points and 12 rebounds for the Rockets, who won their third straight game.
• Celtics 99, Timberwolves 93 — At Minneapolis: Isaiah Thomas scored 29 points and Boston rallied from 13 points down in the fourth quarter to beat Minnesota.
Al Horford added 20 points, six rebounds and five assists for the Celtics, who trailed 81-68 after three. Boston opened the fourth on a 17-0 run to take the lead and held on down the stretch for its second straight win.
• Bucks 93, Magic 89 — At Milwaukee: Giannis Antetokounmpo had his first triple-double of the season to lead Milwaukee over Orlando.
The Bucks snapped a three-game losing streak as Antetokounmpo finished with 21 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. He made all nine free throws and added five steals and three blocks.
• Spurs 96, Mavericks 91 — At San Antonio: Kawhi Leonard had 24 points and nine rebounds, and San Antonio defeated Dallas for its sixth straight victory.
Dallas guard Seth Curry matched a career high with 23 points. Wesley Matthews and Harrison Barnes each had 20 in the Mavericks’ sixth consecutive loss.