National Basketball Association
LA Clippers 108, Cleveland 78
When: 8:30 PM ET, Saturday, March 18, 2017
Where: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
Officials: #29 Mark Lindsay, #48 Scott Foster, #32 Marat Kogut
Attendance: 19379

LOS ANGELES -- The Cleveland Cavaliers handed the Los Angeles Clippers a gift Saturday.

Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue decided to sit his Big Three of LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love. The Clippers took advantage, rolling to a 108-78 victory at Staples Center.

Blake Griffin scored 23 points and collected eight rebounds in three quarters, and the Clippers snapped a three-game losing streak by shaking off a sluggish start before rolling.

"When teams do that and you are playing them, it does throw you off a little bit, but you have to come out and win the game," Clippers coach Doc Rivers said. "That is the objective no matter what. We did our job, and honestly, they did their job, too. They had to do what they had to do.

"Listen, I hate it for the fans. I really do. But I do it, we all do it."

DeAndre Jordan, who sat out the Clippers' loss to the Denver Nuggets on Thursday along with Griffin, had 13 points and 17 rebounds and J.J. Redick scored 16 points for the Clippers (41-29), who have a half-game lead over the Oklahoma City Thunder for the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference. Jamal Crawford also had 13 points while Chris Paul was held to five points on 0 of 8 shooting.

Lue said Cleveland's inability to generate much offensively hurt them.

"That second and fourth quarter really hurt us as far as when you go deeper and deeper into your bench and when guys are sitting out, it kind of shows," Lue said. "We tried to compete. That's a good team over there, and they beat us."

James missed his sixth game and Irving sat after not playing in the fourth quarter Thursday due to left knee tightness. Love returned from a 13-game absence following left knee surgery and is not cleared to play on consecutive nights.

In their places, Lue started Deron Williams, J.R. Smith, Iman Shumpert, Channing Frye and Tristan Thompson.

Richard Jefferson came off the bench to score a team-high 12 points for Cleveland (45-23), which has a 1 1/2-game lead over the Boston Celtics for the top spot in the Eastern Conference.

Lue said he isn't concerned about where the Cavaliers finish in the conference race.

"We can afford anything; I mean you still have to beat us," Lue said when asked if the Cavaliers can afford to give away games. "Teams have to try to beat us, so I'm not worried about that. Washington lost tonight. It happens. If you were able to get second place, you still have to beat us and I think (teams) understand who we are and we know who we are. We're not worried about that."

Thompson and Williams scored 11 points each, while Shumpert, Frye and Smith scored 10 points apiece as Cleveland shot 38.8 percent and a season-worst 18.5 percent from 3-point range.

"At the end of the day, the guys who played are still NBA players and they are capable, so no we don't look at it like they handed it to us," Griffin said. "It is a different game without LeBron, Kyrie and Kevin playing, obviously. I am not going to pretend to like it or not. At the end of the day, you still have to execute."

It took more than a quarter for the Clippers' offense to flow. They trailed the Cavaliers 16-14 after one period, managing just two points during the final seven minutes.

Los Angeles used a 13-0 run in the second for a 37-24 edge after two foul shots by Paul with 2:44 remaining. The Clippers held a 47-31 advantage at the break and led by as many as 32.

The Cavaliers got no closer than 10 the rest of the way.

NOTES: Clippers coach Doc Rivers denied an ESPN report that speculated he might return to the Orlando Magic, the club that gave him his first NBA coaching job. "I can tell you I had a past with the Magic, but I have no future. My future is here," Rivers said. ... Cavaliers G Kyle Korver (sore left foot) missed his sixth straight game. Korver worked on his shooting before the game. ... Cleveland recalled G Kay Felder from the Canton Charge of the NBA Development League. Felder scored 10 points in 15 minutes against the Clippers. ... The Clippers host the New York Knicks on Monday.
Top Game Performances
 
Cleveland   LA Clippers
Richard Jefferson 12 Scoring Blake Griffin 23
Deron Williams 5 Assists Chris Paul 7
Richard Jefferson 6 Rebounds DeAndre Jordan 17
Kay Felder 2 Free Throws Made DeAndre Jordan 5
DeAndre Liggins 4 Steals Raymond Felton 1
N/A Blocks Wesley Johnson 1
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Cleveland 78 38.6 5-27 9-13 15 40 0 5 12
LA Clippers 108 51.3 8-26 20-29 27 54 3 4 15
Upcoming Games
  • LA Clippers will play their next game at home against New York. The Clippers have a W/L % of .683 after a win and .448 after a loss.
  • Cleveland will play their next game on the road against L.A. Lakers. The Cavaliers have a W/L % of .644 after a win and .696 after a loss.