| |
|
NBA Playoffs - Paul wallops Thunder, Clips take 1-0- lead
By Homer D. Sayson PhilBoxing.com Wed, 07 May 2014
CHICAGO -- Chris Paul strutted the stuff All-Stars are made of, scoring 32 points and dishing 10 dimes as the Los Angeles Clippers annihilated the Thunder, 122-105, Monday night at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City.
Paul drilled 12 of 14 field goals, including 8-for-9 form 3-point range, and the Clippers surged ahead with a 1-0 lead in this best-of-7 Western Conference semifinals. Game 2 stays in OKC Wednesday night (Thursday AM in Manila).
"C.P. really set the tone for us to start the game. His being aggressive at the start really helped us. Tonight, he just looked great and we just had one of those nights when everything was going in," Clippers head coach Doc Rivers told NBA.com.
After trailing briefly, 16-10, the Clippers put the game away by scoring 69 points at the half. The lead would balloon to as many as 29 and the Thunder never got closer than 13 the rest of the way.
Blake Griffin finished with 23 for Los Angeles, Jamal Crawford pitched in 17 off the bench, while Matt Barnes and J.J. Redick combined for 22. The Clippers made 45 of 82 field goals (54.9 percent) and 15 of 29 triples (51.7 percent).
"We have to play better defense. They were making shots, getting to the line, and making 3s. Chris had an unbelievable night. We have to do a better job guarding the 3-point line," Thunder head coach Scott Brooks said.
Russell Westbrook paced OKC with 29 points. He also had four rebounds and four assists. Kevin Durant made only 9-of-19 shots for 25 markers while Serge Ibaka turned in 12 points and six rebounds but no other Thunder player finished in double figures in points.
While the Clips shot alarmingly high from the field, OKC converted only 39 of 85 (45.9 percent) and 9 of 28 from 3-point range (32.1 percent). (Homer D. Sayson)
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Homer D. Sayson.
Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:
RAUL “EL CUGÁR” CURIEL CRUISES TO UNANIMOUS DECISION WIN OVER JORDAN “THE PATRIOT” PANTHEN , Sat, 17 Jan 2026Weights from Philadelphia , Sat, 17 Jan 2026Mexico Commemorates 12th Death Anniversary of Don Jose Sulaiman (Photos) By Gabriel F. Cordero, , Sat, 17 Jan 2026MOLLY McCANN EYES 'HUGE' STATEMENT START TO 2026 AS SHE JOINS BUMPER WOOD-WARINGTON CARD IN NOTTINGHAM ON FEBRUARY 21 , Sat, 17 Jan 2026NEW MAIN EVENT ANNOUNCED! RAUL CURIEL SCHEDULED TO FACE JORDAN PANTHEN IN MIDDLEWEIGHT SCRAP , Fri, 16 Jan 2026SMALLS VS RAMOS TOPS STACKED UNDERCARD FOR NAVARRETE-NUNEZ BLOCKBUSTER IN GLENDALE , Fri, 16 Jan 2026Usyk Linked to Zuffa Boxing Deal as Questions Loom Over Title Defenses By Gabriel F. Cordero, , Fri, 16 Jan 2026Abass Baraou: "No One Has Been Able to Withstand My Pressure!" , Fri, 16 Jan 2026Wise Owl Boxing Signs Rising Female Star Chantel “Chicanita” Navarro , Fri, 16 Jan 2026Mauricio Sulaiman: WBC wants to protect fighters' dream of becoming a world champion By Gabriel F. Cordero, , Thu, 15 Jan 2026Xander Zayas: "It's Time to Make History!" , Thu, 15 Jan 2026Weights from Trenton, NJ , Thu, 15 Jan 2026Pro Boxer and Recent Grad Returns for Fight Night on the Farm — Celebrating Stanford’s Boxing Community , Thu, 15 Jan 2026Jamaine Ortiz Aims to Derail Keyshawn Davis’ Undefeated Streak at Madison Square Garden , Wed, 14 Jan 2026“No bad blood from me”- Good friends become better rivals – Clarke is ready for Cruiserweight title Clash March 13 in Perth – Thunderdome 53 , Wed, 14 Jan 2026Itauma suffers injury; Magnificent 7 rescheduled to March 28 By Gabriel F. Cordero, , Wed, 14 Jan 2026Top Super Lightweights Bryan Flores & Starling Castillo Battle in 10-Round Main Event of ProBoxTV’s ‘The Contender Series’ , Wed, 14 Jan 2026Harden surpasses Shaquille O'Neal's to become the ninth all-time leading scorer in NBA history By Gabriel F. Cordero, , Wed, 14 Jan 2026“It’s time, LFG” - Holly McMath Trilogy for WBC Title Clash March 13 in Perth – Thunderdome 53 , Tue, 13 Jan 2026IBA President Kremlev encourages sporting organisations to protect women’s sport following Trump’s statement on Imane Khelif , Tue, 13 Jan 2026REYES, STRICKLAND, BUSTAMANTE & SOUQUET SET FOR HISTORIC SHOWDOWN AT WNT LEGENDS – EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW , Tue, 13 Jan 2026Pumicpic fights Korean in Japan By Lito delos Reyes, , Tue, 13 Jan 2026No. 1 rated WBA Super Flyweight contender John “Scrappy” Ramirez remains patient and Looks forward to a 2026 World title shot , Tue, 13 Jan 2026Ironman 70.3 Davao on March 22 By Lito delos Reyes, , Tue, 13 Jan 2026THE PAST WEEK IN ACTION 12 JANUARY 2026: Dalton Smith Halts Subriel Matias in 5; Kabayel Stops Knyba in 3 By Eric Armit, , Mon, 12 Jan 2026 |

|
|
|
|
|