LOS ANGELES – JJ Redick scored 26 points and became the Clippers all-time franchise leader in three-pointers in a season on Friday night and Los Angeles beat Washington 113-99 to move within a ½ game of the Portland Trail Blazers for fourth place in the Western Conference.
“I feel like every shot I take is going to go in,” smiled Redick. “It’s a great feeling as a player.”
Redick has now scored at least 23 points in three consecutive games, the best stretch of his career. Redick’s three-pointer with 5:18 left in the fourth quarter gave him a season total of 162, one more than his teammate and birthday boy, Jamal Crawford, for the Clippers franchise record.
“Anytime you hold a franchise record, it is a positive,” said Redick after the game. “The fact that it was Jamal [Crawford] was cool too. The Clippers have not had a great history, so we are kind of writing that history right now. It is a pretty cool thing to be a part of.”
Chris Paul had another complete game with 30 points and 15 assists.
“If I’m aggressive, that’s going to open it up for JJ, it’s going to open it up for Blake,” said Paul about his dominant performance. “Now we’re really playing like a team.”
DeAndre Jordan grabbed 23 rebounds, and Blake Griffin had 22 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists.
“Every game is important now,” said Jordan about the Clippers standings in the West. “We’re fighting for positioning. We’re fighting for home court, so the more wins we can get the better. For the postseason, we want to be able to hit our stride and play great basketball.”
The surging Wizards had their five game win streak snapped by the Clippers and split the season series with Los Angeles after beating them 104-96 in Washington D.C. last December.
John Wall led the Wizards with 19 points and 10 assists, his backcourt teammate Bradley Beal had 18 and Nene Hilario added 14.
“We didn’t play our defense,” said Wall. “We missed some easy shots. It’s tough to win when you miss easy shots against a team with Blake Griffin, who can easily push the pace up court. They beat us at our own game.”
Wall brought the Staples Center crowd to their feet late in the third quarter when he finished off a fast break with a 360-spin move around LA forward Matt Barnes. After the fans picked their jaws up off the floor, the Clippers finished the game strong on a 19-11 run to close out Washington.
Paul Pierce was quiet in his return to his hometown, finishing with just six points on 2-11 shooting.
“I just talk trash to him,” joked current Clippers head coach Doc Rivers, about how his team was able to contain Pierce. “I know the secret words to tell him. He’s been up and down all season, but tonight he just missed shots.”
At one point, Pierce missed eight shots in a row as his team fell behind double digits.
The Wizards had six players in double-figures, but it was not enough to stop the Clippers, who have now won three straight since losing to Houston 100-98 on March 15th.
The Clippers are now 3-1 since Griffin returned from injury last week. Griffin previously missed the Clippers last 15 games with a staph infection in his right elbow that required surgery.
Game Notes:
Jamal Crawford celebrated his 35th birthday on Friday, but has not played since March 2nd with a lingering calf injury. Glen “Big Baby” Davis skipped the game with a stomach illness. Justin Beiber and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft were in attendance at Staples Center.
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