Record Christmas Day viewers, Kobe leads All Star voting – NBA Round Up

What unfolded was a roller-coaster Saturday in which the news of Blake Griffin’s partial tear of the quadriceps tendon draped a thick melancholy atmosphere over the team.

Griffin said he understands the allure of Kobe Bryant, the Lakers star who is lapping the rest of the National Basketball Association in All-Star fan voting despite being one of the league’s most inefficient players this season.

Chris Paul scored 23 points and the Los Angeles Clippers beat the Los Angeles Lakers 94-84 on Friday night to end a three-game skid.

While the fact that Griffin is missing two weeks is certainly uncomforting for the Clippers, the fact that they aren’t 100 percent sure that he’ll be ready after two weeks of recovery is even more disconcerting.

With Smith sitting, Pierce played with the starters in the second half, igniting the Clippers’ comeback on a night when they very easily could’ve packed it up. The duo actually got better from deep as they game went on, combining to go 10-for-14 from the floor and 9-for-11 from 3-point range in the second half.

“We played hard enough to win but we made a few mistakes”, guard Mike Conley said.

Even during last season, when the Clippers won 56 games and earned the 3rd seed in the Western Conference, losing Griffin for two weeks would have been a real blow.

“It’s great to see Paul Pierce hit big shots”, Clippers guard J.J. Redick said on PrimeTicket. The Clippers weak bench blew another huge lead while trying to close the game out. Smith struggled early, shooting 0-for-2 with a turnover in five minutes of action before head coach Doc Rivers took him out of the game. “We were really looking forward to it. Most of the time you enjoy the time in the morning with your family, but for that game, we were all a little chippy”.

Paul finished with 19 points and 11 assists, while DeAndre Jordan had 14 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks.

Los Angeles Lakers PF Larry Nance Jr., however, picked the worst possible time to give his gift to the Los Angeles Clippers…two gifts actually.

However, that doesn’t mean guys like Kobe, Dirk, KG or Duncan have no place in the All-Star Game, especially as their careers wind down and we try to honor them one last time.

Los Angeles Clippers (18-13, 8-7 on the road) 2nd in Pacific Division.

“That was kind of indicative of how this season has gone”, Scott said after his team’s record fell to 5-25.

Jazz: F Derrick Favors did not play because of back spasms.