LOS ANGELES, (Reuters) – A high-spirited Los Angeles Clippers soared to a franchise record-tying 11th straight victory with a comfortable 93-77 triumph over the slumping New Orleans Hornets on Wednesday.
Roared on by a raucous home crowd, the surging Clippers tied a winning streak dating back to 1974 when the franchise was known as the Buffalo Braves.
The present incarnation of the Clippers (19-6) last lost on Nov. 26 against the same Hornets so the victory also served as an ideal way to dish out some revenge in the rematch at the Staples Center.
“We were really motivated to play better,” Los Angeles center DeAndre Jordan told reporters. “We’re just playing great basketball and that’s what’s winning us games.”
The Clippers eased to victory on the back of another balanced effort as Blake Griffin scored 18 points and Jamal Crawford led the reserves with 17, the home players sharing high-fives and smiling throughout the contest.
While points arrived often and from a number of sources, the Los Angeles defense stifled the struggling Hornets (5-20), who appeared jaded in their second game in as many nights as they slipped to a ninth consecutive defeat.
Robin Lopez amassed 22 points and nine rebounds for New Orleans while top overall draft pick Anthony Davis added 16, but the visitors shot just 38 percent as they put up meek resistance against an in-form opponent.
Chris Paul brought the Los Angeles crowd to its feet in the second quarter when the 27-year-old point guard became the fifth fastest player to reach 5,000 career assists.
Paul’s milestone was flashed across the scoreboard and the crowd gave him a standing ovation even as he did not initially know what was happening around him.
“I didn’t have a clue,” Paul said, having tallied 10 points and 12 assists against the team where he spent his first six seasons in the league.
“I was so locked into the game and I just heard everyone cheering. It’s pretty cool, but it means I’ve had great team mates. Other guys have the tough part in making the shots.”
Los Angeles made things especially tough on the young Hornets in the third quarter where they harassed them into many of their 20 turnovers.
A 12-2 run put the Clippers 69-52 ahead and out of reach. The fourth quarter saw many of the Los Angeles starters resting comfortably on the bench with victory already assured.
“It’s cool to be able to accomplish (the streak) with this group of guys, we have so much fun together,” Griffin said. “But we have much bigger aspirations. We’ll take it, but we have to move on.”
