Clippers hotter than they've been in 20 years

Blake Griffin had 22 points and 10 rebounds to help the Los Angeles Clippers beat the Chicago Bulls 94-89 on Tuesday night for their seventh straight victory, the team's longest winning streak in two decades.

Marco Belinelli hit a 3-pointer with less than a minute left to cut Chicago's deficit to 89-87, but Chris Paul answered with a floater in the lane, then iced it with three free throws down the stretch as Los Angeles snapped the Bulls' season-high three-game winning streak.

Paul finished with 18 points and four assists, below the 20 and 10 he averaged in his first dozen games against Chicago, but it was enough for the Clippers to sweep the season series for the first time since 2009-10.

The Clippers (15-6) are on their longest winning streak since an eight-game run during the 1991-92 season. They have won 10 of 12 at the United Center.

Carlos Boozer scored 24 points and pulled down 13 rebounds for the Bulls, who had won five of six overall.

It was Boozer's 10th double-double in 13 games, but he missed a pair of free throws and was called for an offensive foul during a crucial sequence three minutes into the fourth quarter as Chicago failed to cut into the Clippers' lead.

The Bulls (11-9) had held opponents below 90 points in seven of their previous nine games, though they did hold the Clippers under 100 for the first time during their seven-game run.

Griffin was a force inside throughout, quieting the home crowd with his thunderous dunks. He also knocked down his first 3-pointer of the season in the second quarter after missing five previous attempts.

The Western Conference Player of the Week then followed with a pair of rim-shaking dunks in transition as part of a 15-5 Clippers run to end the first half. They went into halftime with a seven-point lead, matching their biggest advantage of the game to that point.

Griffin has averaged 30.3 points and 12.0 rebounds in his first four career games against Chicago. The only team he has better numbers against is the New York Knicks (31.1 ppg).

Griffin had 26 points and 10 rebounds in his team's 101-80 win over Chicago on Nov 17 in Los Angeles.

NOTES

Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro said it was "a little bit" surprising that Griffin's Player of the Week award, announced on Monday, was his first such honor since entering the league in 2010. "Those things happen when you win," Del Negro said. "You get recognized for winning, and I think Blake is most pleased with that." ... Clippers F Grant Hill (right knee bone bruise) "felt pretty good" after running on Monday, according to Del Negro. Hill will continue to run every other day.

(China Daily 12/13/2012 page24)