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Clippers Not Feeling Satisfied After 105-85 Win Vs. Spurs

Rowan Kavner

SAN ANTONIO – “Angry” and “frustrated” aren’t typically terms a team would use in a locker room after beating the defending champions by 20 on their home court.

But those words could be heard in the Clippers’ locker room Saturday night after a 105-85 win in San Antonio, not because of their performance against the Spurs, but because they weren’t satisfied with just winning that game after losing the night before against the Pelicans.

“We take care of business last night and play the way we did tonight, we sit on this trip 3-0 going to Brooklyn,” said Blake Griffin. “It’s the halfway point and we’ve got a good chance to really set the pace for this trip. It’s frustrating, angry, whatever it was, but at the same time, it’s great we came out and got this game.”

In past seasons, holding Tim Duncan and Tony Parker to a combined nine points in a win against a team they hadn’t beaten all season might’ve made them content and been the topic of a postgame locker room trip. Instead, there was more talk about the previous night’s loss than the impressive win they just got finished with.

Not only were the Clippers not feeling content, but it actually sounded like performances such as Saturday’s made them more frustrated about letting previous games get away.

“It makes you angry at nights like last night,” said J.J. Redick. “Our focus wasn’t there from the beginning of the game. In the NBA, guys get rolling and they’re tough to stop once they get rolling. We come with (Saturday’s) focus and intensity from the beginning of the game, it makes us a different team.”

DeAndre Jordan said Matt Barnes sent out a group text the night after the loss to New Orleans that was honest, talking about picking up the focus and not waiting until the fourth quarter to turn it on.

Consider that text answered by the Clippers, who never trailed by more than a point and never trailed at all after the first quarter in San Antonio.

“We don’t take this win for granted, but at the same time, we’ve just got to play the right way,” Griffin said. “It’s a little frustrating (not to win Friday), but at the same time, you drop a game like that, you’ve got to be able to get a win. Coming to San Antonio and getting a game like this is huge. I’m not going to complain about it. Loved the way we played tonight. We’ve got to put yesterday’s game behind us and keep moving.”

While the Clippers may not be satisfied splitting this weekend’s games or being 2-1 on this road trip, they’re developing a positive trend. While one would expect the second game of a back-to-back to be sluggish, lethargic and sloppy, for reasons no one can explain, the Clippers are now 9-3 in the second game of back-to-backs.

The Clippers had won just nine times ever in San Antonio entering the game, but that didn’t matter Saturday night.

“It was a very good win, especially after last night,” Rivers said. “The difference, it’s funny, Mike Woodson, two minutes in the game, he turns to me and says, ‘Was that the team that played last night?’ It wasn’t.”

A 29-25 lead after one quarter turned into a 56-42 advantage at halftime, with Chris Paul scoring the final five points of the first half. Paul finished with 20 points, six assists and three rebound.

“Last night we didn’t defend as well as we would’ve liked to,” Paul said. “Tonight, I think we played with the right pace. We got stops early, tried not to let them get too comfortable.”

There was no answer for Blake Griffin, who had 31 points, 13 rebounds and five assists, as the Clippers beat the Spurs for the first time in three matchups this season.

“We rode our horses,” Redick said.

The last time the Clippers played in San Antonio, they allowed 125 points, but the defense buckled down this time around by holding the Spurs to 37.3 percent shooting. The Clippers outscored the Spurs in every quarter, including by 10 in the second quarter.

“They’re so good that you can’t sit back and milk the clock and play slow against them,” Rivers said. “You have to play with pace against them, and our guys did that tonight.”

The lead continued to expand for the Clippers throughout the night. The Spurs had the first six points of the third quarter, but the Clippers settled down and turned a nine-point lead quickly back to double digits.

DeAndre Jordan added eight points and 19 rebounds, and Spencer Hawes and Austin Rivers each had 11 points off the bench.

NOTES: The Clippers held the Spurs to 37.3 percent shooting…The Clippers had the advantage on the Spurs in every major statistical category…Jordan hauled in more offensive rebounds (7) than the entire Spurs team (4)…The Clippers went 17-of-18 from the free-throw line…The Clippers finished with 20 more total rebounds than the Spurs…Parker, Duncan and Ginobili combined for 18 points… The Clippers finished with 14 more points in the paint than the Spurs…The Clippers play again Monday against the Nets …