Clippers snap slump, thrash LeBron James and Cleveland Cavaliers

And perhaps just as important as the win, none of the Clippers’ starters played more than 31 minutes, keeping them fresh for the back-to-back game at New Orleans.

The Cleveland Cavaliers’ Mike Dunleavy (concussion) is out against the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday.

It’s tough to think that a team that won 57 games and the NBA Finals against the winningest team in regular season history underperformed, but there were times when the 2015-2016 Cleveland Cavaliers did just that. The Clippers sat Blake Griffin Tuesday in Brooklyn, signs the Clippers are serious about a season-long maintenance plan for their players.

The 15-year veteran has been averaging only 15.6 minutes per game in a reserve role this season.

J.J. Redick scored 21 points in the first half to keep the Clippers tight while Paul and Griffin struggled to find their own shots. “He’s a great mover without the ball, but sometimes we missed some coverages”. His hot start helped weather the storm early against Cleveland Cavaliers (13-4) until the LA Clippers (15-5) were able to take a strong lead in the middle of the second half.

Los Angeles Clippers point guard Chris Paul may be looking to become Chri$$$ Paul this coming offseason. LeBron James was kept quiet with 16 points, five rebounds and five assists. In addition, his 32.7 percent 3-point shooting is the second-worst percentage of his career, just as his 8.1 points per game is the second-lowest of his time in the National Basketball Association.

Clippers Coach Doc Rivers said much of what the nation saw was who “we are” as a team. As counterintuitive as it may seem, it’s sometimes preferable to play a good team on a three-game winning streak rather than playing a good team on a three-game losing streak. We have got to try to meet those.

Hayward had 32 points and seven assists.

“We actually played to our potential”, Rivers said.

LA Clippers center DeAndre Jordan (6) defends Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) in the first quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. Meanwhile, the Cavs don’t lose back-to-back games often and are playing at home where they’ve very tough to beat.

The complacency Tyronn Lue railed against this week apparently wasn’t cured with one embarrassing road loss or one public example made out of J.R. Smith’s antics. “Once they’re on the floor, they’re healthy to us”. Friday’s eight-point performance is a bit of a downgrade from Davis’s previous performance – a 41-point, 16-rebound outing in a win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday evening.

The Clippers got back to their dominant ways late in the first half, outscoring the Cavs by 12 in the second quarter, then by 12 again in the third, with the lead ballooning to more than 20 points.