In Game 1, Los Angeles Clippers star Blake Griffin played 19 minutes and 14 seconds before fouling out. On Monday night, Griffin logged 19 minutes and 33 seconds in the first half alone. At the intermission, Griffin already had 21 points and had more than twice as many points as any other player on either team.
"It's a lot different when he plays more than 19 minutes," Clippers point guard Chris Paul said about Griffin after the game. "He's a spark plug for our team."
Griffin and the Clippers came out with a point to prove after losing Game 1, and they did not take long to make their case.
Less than six minutes into the game, the Clippers were up by double digits. Four minutes into the second quarter, that lead would balloon to 20 points.
After a late bad call provided the Golden State Warriors the necessary separation to go on and collect a vital road victory in Game 1, the Clippers were dead-set on not allowing Monday’s Game 2 to come down to one blown call.
Griffin made his presence felt throughout the contest, and in three quarters of work, he notched 35 points on 13-17 shooting. Griffin struggled from the free throw line early in his career, but Monday was another example of how the Clippers’ No. 1 overall pick in 2009 has worked hard to rid his game of the weakness that has plagued so many big men in the NBA over the years.
In Game 2, Griffin made nine of his 10 free throws.
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After the third period, Paul and Griffin did not return to the court. For his part, Paul ended with 12 points, 10 assists, six rebounds and five steals.
After the first three quarters, the game was over. The Clippers led by 32 points and both coaches emptied the benches for the final 12 minutes.
Analyzing the victory, the Clippers capitalized on turnovers, got out on the break and got to the free throw line. Through three quarters, the Clippers outscored the Warriors 22-8 on points off turnovers. At that point, the home team had 23 fast break points to the Warriors’ 12 fast break points. Also, the Clippers shot 11 more free throws and made 10 more foul shots than the Warriors through three periods.
After losing a close one in Game 1, the Los Angeles Clippers evened the series with a massive blowout in Game 2. On Thursday, the series shifts to Northern California for Game 3.
