LOS ANGELES — Point guard Chris Paul scored 25 of his game-high 32 points in the second half, and the Los Angeles Clippers pounded the San Antonio Spurs 107-92 in the opener of a first-round Western Conference playoff series Sunday at Staples Center.
Forward Blake Griffin added 26 points, 12 rebounds, six assists and three steals for the Clippers, who won their eighth game in a row and their 15th in the past 16. Guard Jamal Crawford came off the bench to score 17 points.
Forward Kawhi Leonard scored 18 points to lead the Spurs.
Game 2 of the best-of-seven series is Wednesday at Staples.
The Clippers, who led by six at halftime, took control in the third quarter. After point guard Tony Parker hit a bucket with 6:43 left in the quarter to pull San Antonio within 57-53, the Clippers put together a 14-4 stretch for a 71-57 cushion on a 3-pointer by Paul with 2:26 left. They increased the margin to 18 before Leonard’s 3-pointer cut the lead to 79-64 to end the third.
Two Griffin slams over Spurs backup center Aron Baynes were the biggest highlights of the Clippers’ run.
The Spurs got no closer than nine the rest of the way.
Los Angeles led 30-18 after one period. The Spurs went on a 19-5 run, scoring 10 straight, to open the second quarter and take a 37-35 lead after a basket by forward Tim Duncan (11 points, 11 rebounds). The Clippers, though, answered with a 10-0 surge for a 45-37 advantage after a jumper by Crawford.
San Antonio rallied, cutting the deficit to 46-43, mainly by intentionally fouling center DeAndre Jordan in the final minute and half of the second period. Jordan made four of eight free throws in that span, including his last three, as Los Angeles took a 49-43 lead at the break.
Los Angeles held San Antonio to 36.6 percent shooting on the night while converting 51.3 percent of its attempts.
Spurs center Tiago Splitter returned to the starting lineup after missing the last six games of the regular season due to right calf tightness. Splitter finished with four points and three rebounds in 10 minutes.
NOTES: The Clippers’ Doc Rivers and the Spurs’ Gregg Popovich are coaching against each other in the postseason for the first time. … Rivers says Spurs F Kawhi Leonard doesn’t receive enough credit for his play. “You don’t hear a lot of talk about him. Maybe because he rarely talks about himself, which is really refreshing,” Rivers said. “We all know his defense, but he’s so underrated offensively.” … San Antonio swept Los Angeles in the second round of the 2012 playoffs, the only other time the teams met in the postseason. … The clubs split their four regular-season meetings, with the Clippers winning the last two.