The Los Angeles Clippers did exactly what good teams should do on Saturday night, absolutely drilling an inferior opponent. The Clippers beat the woeful Charlotte Bobcats 111-86 in a game that wasn't that close, delivering the 14th straight defeat to Charlotte. It was the sixth win in seven road games for the Clippers, who are 4-1 on their current trip. On that trip, both Chris Paul and Blake Griffin have been excellent.
Paul had 18 points and 14 assists on Saturday in Charlotte, and in the first five games of the road trip have averaged 17.8 points and 9.0 assists. Paul has 45 assists against just eight turnovers, a true shooting percentage of 54.0%, and has made 24 consecutive free throws. That these numbers are pretty much in line with Paul's numbers on the season, and in some cases worse (his true shooting percentage is 59.4% on the season, for instance), should show just how valuable the point guard has been to the Clippers' resurgence this season.
Griffin had 21 points and 10 rebounds against the Bobcats, his fifth double-double in as many games on the road trip and his 17th double-double of the season. On the trip, Griffin has averaged 20.2 points and 11.4 rebounds per game with a 56.1% true shooting percentage. After opening the trip with a 1-for-7 game from the charity stripe in Washington that dropped his free throw percentage on the season to 48.0%, Griffin has made 22 of 27 free throws (81.5%) in his last four games.
The Clippers close out their road trip Monday night in Dallas, and if Paul and Griffin continue to excel, expect another win for Los Angeles.
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