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Chauncey Billups scored 20 points for the Clippers in the victory.
Midway through the third quarter, the Los Angeles Clippers lead the New Jersey Nets 70-56. Blake Griffin has a double double with 19 points and 12 rebounds, dominating his counterpart in Kris Humphries. Humphries has only managed two points and seven rebounds.
Caron Butler leads the Clippers with 20 points. He's also pulled down five rebounds; the Clips are 4-1 when butler pulls down five rebounds or more. The Clippers have hit all three of their pre-game talking points, and they've hit them hard.
Chauncey Billups was supposed to play limited minutes today as he handles back issues, but he's gone 24 minutes so far. Randy Foye, starting in place of the injured Blake Griffin, has seven points and eight assists.
The Clippers are leading the rebounding battle 36-22. This includes 14 offensive rebounds as the Clippers have been creating a high number of second chance opportunities in their last two games. Six of those offensive rebounds were pulled down by Blake Griffin.
The Los Angeles Clippers are in front of the New Jersey Nets 31-17, after a first quarter that included a 16-0 run and 15 points from Caron Butler. Blake Griffin pulled down five rebounds and contributed eight points; his counterpart Kris Humphries pulled down four but did not score. The Clippers are 4-0 at home this season when leading after the first quarter.
Courtney Fortson, who was promoted from the D-league earlier today, made his NBA debut toward the end of the quarter wearing number 17 and relieving Randy Foye. He promptly contributed two assists. Chauncey Billups only went six and a half minutes before he was replaced by Ryan Gomes and the Clippers went on their run.
Things eventually settled down at Staples Center, with Johan Petro leading the Nets with six points off the bench. The Clippers got out to their customary hot start, and now the main factors will be the battle between Griffin and Humphries, along with the rebound battle. The Clippers currently lead the rebound battle 16-10.
The Los Angeles Clippers announced the signing of point guard Courtney Fortson early today. The 23 year old was playing for the D-League Los Angeles D-Fenders and is the 15th Gatorade Call-up of the 2011-12 season. He will be available for this afternoon's game.
In other roster news, Chris Paul and Mo Williams will be kept out of the lineup today. Chauncey Billups and Randy Foye will start in the guard spots.
The starting lineup will likely consist of:
Chauncey Billups G
Randy Foye G
With Chris Paul out, the spotlight shifts to Blake Griffin. The battle between Griffin and the Nets' Kris Humphries will be one of the keys to the game. Griffin is averaging 23.1 points and 11.1 rebounds while shooting 52.8% from the field. The only other player averaging at least 23 points and shooting better than 50% from the field is Lebron James.
A fast start is also key, as the Clippers are 4-0 at home when leading after the first quarter. Also key is superiority on the boards. The Clips grabbed a season high 50 rebounds against the Lakers on Saturday, which included a season high 17 offensive rebounds. This season, when Caron Butler has 5 or more rebounds, the Clippers are 4-1.
The Los Angeles Clippers will be hosting the New Jersey Nets this afternoon at 12:30 inside Staples Center. The game is one of eleven set to tip off, many of them afternoon tip offs, as part of a traditional Martin Luther King Day slate of NBA games. The Clippers have won six of their last eleven games against New Jersey, but have lost the last three.
The Clippers' Chris Paul and the Nets Deron Williams are considered the top two point guards in the NBA today. Head to head, Williams has won 12 of the 16 times the two guards have faced off against each other. Williams has averaged almost 17 points in those games, with Paul averaging close to 15.
Paul scored a season high 33 points in the Clippers' victory over the Lakers on Saturday. He also added six assists, four rebounds, and three steals before leaving with a strained left hamstring with four minutes left in the game. After an MRI came back negative, he is considered questionable for this afternoon's game.
On a positive note for the Clippers, they have sold out every game of the 2011-12 season, continuing an 18 straight sellout streak that goes back to Feb. 2nd of last year. Today will be an interesting case study, as both the Clippers and Lakers play at the Staples Center today.
To discuss CP3 and the Clippers, head to Clips Nation.
Clippers Vs. Nets: Blake Griffin Double Double Helps Clips Avoid Late Nets Rally, Final Score 101-91
The Los Angeles Clippers withstood a late rally from the New Jersey Nets, holding out for a 101-91 victory. The Nets outscored the Clippers in the second and third quarters, whittling down the large lead the Clips amassed after the first quarter. They were able to draw even midway through the fourth quarter, but the Clippers got the momentum back as three starters finished with twenty or more points.
Blake Griffin wins player of the game honors, finishing with a double double. His 23 points and 14 rebounds were not only tops in both categories, but often came at the expense of Kris Humphries who had a terrible game. Ryan Foye lead the team with 10 assists, filling in nicely for the injured Chris Paul.
Given the way the game finished, the Clippers owe much to their hot start. Going on a 16-0 run at one point late in the first quarter, the Clippers had the Nets battling from behind out of the gate. Caron Butler had 15 points in that first quarter, he finished with 20 points and six rebounds.
The Clippers fell four rebounds short of their season high 50 rebounds they pulled down against the Lakers on Saturday. The Clippers had 14 offensive rebounds late in the third quarter, but only pulled down one after that point leaving them shy of their season high 17; also set on Saturday.
The Clippers won their first game in the teams' first stint of three straight games. They'll head to Salt Lake City to take on the Utah Jazz on Tuesday night, then return to Staples Center to take on the Dallas Mavericks who take on the Lakers tonight.
For more on the Clippers, check out Clips Nation.
Jan 16 3:23p by Josie Becker