Blake Griffin led the Clippers with 22 points and 10 rebounds in a win over the Suns on Nov. 2. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht // Daily News)
— Blake Griffin led all scorers with 22 points and he pulled down 10 rebounds in 34 minutes of work. He was 11-of-15 from the free throw line and 13-of-22 shooting from the field. In the waning minutes of the game when he was on the free throw line, Griffin was even serenaded with a smattering of “M-V-P” chants.
— After scoring just 15 points in the win against the Kings on Oct. 31, the Clippers bench “won the game” against the Suns, according to head coach Doc Rivers. Jamal Crawford led the team’s reserves with 11 points with Wesley Johnson finishing with nine. Paul Pierce, Josh Smith and Austin Rivers each had seven.
— Along with the production from the bench came a good rest for the starting unit. The team had 10 players with at least 14 minutes. It’s still early in the season, yes, but Chris Paul noted the importance of depth for a team with championship aspirations.
“You look at the teams that are most successful in our league, they have that depth,” Paul said. “They sit fourth quarters and stuff like that because the starters start it out and the bench lifts them up. I think our bench was amazing tonight and we need that.”
— This is the first 4-0 start for the Clippers since 2007-08 and only the fourth such start for the team ever.
“It’s good to start out the season like this,” DeAndre Jordan said. “But we have to keep it going and keep improving as the games come.”
— The Clippers go for the 5-0 start Wednesday when they face Golden State on the road. It’s a battle of the last two unbeaten teams in the Western Conference who also happen to have a healthy rivalry between them.
The Warriors pounded the Grizzlies on Monday, winning by 50. A reporter went to ask Jordan about the matchup, starting a question by noting “how well” the Warriors are playing. Before she could finish, Jordan responded, “so are we.”
“They’re the champs,” Rivers said. “They’re a really good basketball team. … That swagger is hard to knock off.”
