Los Angeles Clippers’ Chris Paul (3) drives around Cleveland Cavaliers’ Kyrie Irving (2) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, Dec. 1, 2016, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Ron Schwane)
LOS ANGELES—The Los Angeles Clippers snapped a three-game NBA skid in impressive style Thursday, humbling the reigning champion Cavaliers 113-94 in Cleveland.
LeBron James and the Cavaliers endured their second straight defeat on the heels of an upset loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday.
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It’s the first time this season the 13-4 Cavaliers have lost two straight.
The Clippers held an eight-point lead over the lackluster champs at halftime, and opened the third quarter with a 13-2 scoring run to seize control.
JJ Redick scored 23 points, Paul scored 16 and Blake Griffin scored 13 and matched his career high with 11 assists for the Clippers, who were coming off an embarrassing double-overtime loss in Brooklyn.
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“I thought it was a team win because I thought every single guy had a contribution,” said Clippers coach Doc Rivers, who blasted his team’s complacency in the loss to the Nets.
That was never going to happen against the Cavaliers, he added.
“The reason was we respected them,” he said. “They’re the Cleveland Cavaliers. They get your attention.”
DeAndre Jordan pulled down 15 rebounds and the Clippers as a team passed for a season-high 33 assists.
Kyrie Irving scored 28 points and James added 16 for the Cavs, but Cleveland were held to 40.6 percent shooting and made 18 turnovers leading to 21 Clippers points while producing just 12 assists as a team.
“I think we defended pretty well,” Paul said. “It was good. It was good to get a win just to see what it felt like again.”