FILE–Norman Powell #24 of the Los Angeles Clippers. Ronald Martinez/Getty Images/AFP
Norman Powell scored 26 points and Paul George added 21 in the first half, as the host Los Angeles Clippers rolled to a 119-97 win over the struggling San Antonio Spurs on Saturday.
George sat out the second half with right knee soreness after hitting five 3-pointers through the first 24 minutes. The severity of his injury is to be determined but he was on the bench in uniform throughout the remainder of the game as Los Angeles completed its easy victory.
The Clippers led by 18 points after George’s huge first quarter, by 16 at the break and by 22 after the third quarter before emptying their bench and waltzing to the finish line. Los Angeles has won three of its past four games and five of seven while the hapless Spurs dropped their fourth straight and ninth in their past 10 contests.
Reggie Jackson added 20 points for the Clippers, with Kawhi Leonard and Marcus Morris Sr. scoring 11 each, Terance Mann hitting for 10 off the bench, reserve John Wall handing out 15 assists and Ivica Zubac hauling in 11 rebounds.
Jakob Poeltl led San Antonio with 20 points while Doug McDermott scored 13, Keldon Johnson had 11 and Tre Jones amassed 10 assists in the loss. The Spurs played without Devin Vassell, who is nursing a sore ankle.
The Clippers never trailed, building a 40-22 lead by the end of the first quarter with George pumping 10 of his 18 points over the final 2:13 of the period.
San Antonio clawed back to within 49-40 after Johnson’s 3-pointer midway through the second period. But Los Angeles quickly went back to the offensive, outscoring the Spurs 15-8 over the rest of the quarter with Powell’s 3-pointer with 30.2 seconds remaining staking the Clippers to a 64-48 advantage at the break.
George’s 21 points led all scorers in the first half, with Powell adding 14 off the bench, Wall dishing out 10 assists in just 13 minutes of court time and Jackson hitting for 11 points for the Clippers.
Poeltl and McDermott led San Antonio with 10 points apiece at the half.