Clippers win in 2 OT – Griffin gets triple-double

Eric Gordon hit the tying 3-pointer at the end of the first overtime period and Randy Foye hit a deciding three in the second to lead the Clippers to the 127-119 home win over the Washington Wizards.

Griffin had 33 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists – his first triple-double of the season and career – to lead Los Angeles (28-44) while Eric Gordon scored 32 and Chris Kaman had 28 and 12 rebounds in the high-scoring affair. It’s the first time this season that both Gordon and Griffin have scored at least 30 points in the same game and Kaman was two points shy of the team having a third.

Wizards guard John Wall tied it at 102 with a running floater over the outstretched arm of Kaman with 19 seconds left in the fourth quarter, and Griffin missed a 3-point attempt at the other end with a second on the clock. Gordon sent it into a second OT for the Clippers with a 3-pointer out of a timeout with 1.9 seconds left.

Mo Williams also scored in double figures for the Clippers with 17 (and 10 assists) and Foye finished the game with eight points – including the three-pointer in the second OT.

Suns beat Clippers at home

Steve Nash led the Phoenix Suns to the 108-99 win over the Clippers on a rainy afternoon at Staples Center. It marked the third time this season that Phoenix (35-33) had won in the head-to-head matchup and the win kept the Suns alive for a playoff berth.

Nash scored 23 points, had 13 assists and seven rebounds to lead Phoenix, which scored 27 points in every quarter.

The Clippers’ Blake Griffin had an off-game, particularly after his 31-point output against the Cavaliers yesterday. The rookie forward fouled out against the Suns after two straight calls late in the fourth then got a technical after complaining about his sixth and final foul and Los Angeles (27-44) had to play the final three-plus minutes without him. Griffin finished the game with 17 points and only two rebounds.

Chris Kaman led the team in scoring with 21 – along with 11 rebounds – and Mo Williams had 18, Randy Foye 17 and Eric Gordon 10 to go with Griffin’s 17.

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Along with Nash, Channing Frye had 19 points and five 3-pointers, Marcin Gortat scored 17, Jared Dudley had 14 and Hakim Warrick added 12.

The Clippers’ DeAndre Jordan sat out today’s game with a mild bout with pneumonia and was hospitalized. He responded well to treatment overnight and was released at 1 p.m. today.

Jordan will not play today for Clippers

DeAndre Jordan was diagnosed with a mild case of pneumonia last night and was admitted to Marina Del Rey hospital. He was given intravenous antibiotics and held overnight for further tests.

Jordan’s status has improved significantly from last night and he is responding well to treatment. He will not play in the game today against the Phoenix Suns.

Clippers get revenge on Cavaliers

Weird things went on before, during and after the game on Saturday, but the Clippers focused enough to get revenge on Cleveland, beating them 100-92, avenging their Feb. 11 loss.

Before the game, there was a knife-wielding intruder who made it out to the court before being subdued and the arena was extra cold in preparation for a hockey game, which took place later in the day.

The game itself marked the return of Eric Gordon, who had been out six games after re-aggravating his wrist injury. In his return, he had 29 points and six 3-pointers to lead Los Angeles (27-43) to the win.

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The matchup was also significant because of the previous Cavaliers (13-55) upset win in February and the mid-season trade between the two teams that sent Baron Davis east and brought Jamario Moon and Mo Williams to LA. To top if off, neither Davis nor Moon played against their previous teams and Mo Williams, who was instrumental in the previous Cavs win over the Clippers, returned the favor and scored 11 points to compliment Gordon’s 29 and Blake Griffin’s 30.

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Craig Smith also added 12 points for the Clippers, who used a three-guard set in much of the game, employing the smaller team of Gordon, Randy Foye and Williams and the undersized Smith and Griffin in the middle. With that setup, the biggest players Chris Kaman and DeAndre Jordan only combined for four points.

Gordon’s 6-three pointers came one shy of his personal best of seven.

The Clippers do the matinee again Sunday, when they meet the Phoenix Suns at home. Tipoff should be at 12:30.

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Clippers lose close one in overtime

The Clippers squandered a 20-point first half lead and Jordan Farmar scored all of his points in the second half to lead New Jersey to the come-from-behind 102-98 win in overtime in Newark.

Farmar – playing extensive minutes due to the absence of Deron Williams – caught fire in the second half, scoring all of his 24 points which led led the Nets (21-43) outdual the Clippers 31-16 in the third.

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(Jordan Farmar and Blake Griffin (on the floor) go after a loose ball in Friday night’s game)

The Nets could have won it in the last 30 seconds after Kris Humphries drew two consecutive offensive fouls on Blake Griffin and then they took a one-point lead with seconds to go in regulation.

Griffin then tried to win it for the Clippers with a drive for the final shot, but he was fouled and sent to the line for two free throws. He made the first attempt – which tied the score – but missed the second one and the game went into overtime.

The Nets used 7-footer Brook Lopez on consecutive plays in overtime and outscored the Clippers 8-4 to win it.

“Turnovers and down the stretch they attacked and we backed up,” said Griffin, when asked what the difference was in the second half. “I thought we did a good job, especially in the first half. In the second half we just let up. They applied the pressure and we didn’t do too well.”

The Nets started the game slowly and shot a measly 28% in the first half and, at the same time, the Clippers played like they did against the Celtics two nights ago and took a 14-point lead at halftime

New Jersey then caught up to the Clippers (25-41) in the fourth and each team traded baskets and took the lead the from each other in the last several minutes.

“We didn’t come out (in the second half) defensively with the urgency we needed to. We let the Nets get back in the game,” said head coach Vinny Del Negro.

Griffin and Chris Kaman led the Clippers with 23 points and 10 rebounds apiece and Randy Foye added 19 points and seven assists.

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(Blake Griffin drives against Kris Humphries in third quarter action)

Lopez scored 24 along with Farmar and Kris Humphries had 19 points and a career-high 20 rebounds to lead New Jersey. Deron Williams was out of the lineup for the Nets because he was with his wife, who had recently given birth to the couple’s fourth child.

The Clippers play the Washington Wizards and rookie John Wall for the first time this season on Saturday at 4 p.m. in the nation’s capital and New Jersey plays Monday at 5 p.m. in Memphis.

Blake Griffin NBA Special on NBA TV

On March 4th, the half-hour special called 24 Hours with Blake Griffin will air on NBA-TV. It will spotlight the Clipper sensation during All-Star Weekend where he played in the Rookie Game, won the Slam Dunk Contest and played in the All-Star Game at Staples Center in three days time.

The half-hour special includes never-before-seen footage of his dunk contest rehearsals, interviews and private moments outside the glare of the media.

The show premieres on Friday at 6 p.m. ET and here is a trailer for it.