LOS ANGELES — Guard J.J. Redick scored a game-high 26 points, and the Los Angeles Clippers rolled to an 89-76 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves at Staples Center on Monday night.
Redick hit 10 of 19 shots from the floor as the Clippers (41-23) ended a two-game losing streak. Center DeAndre Jordan finished with 20 points and 17 rebounds. Jordan was 10-of-11 shooting. Guard Austin Rivers and forward Matt Barnes scored 13 points apiece. Point guard Chris Paul, who was a game-time decision because of a sore knee, managed just two points but handed out 14 assists.
The win kept the Clippers, who were coming off a 106-98 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Sunday, a half-game ahead of the Dallas Mavericks for fifth place in the Western Conference standings.
Rookie forward Adreian Payne led Minnesota (14-48) with 16 points and 15 rebounds. Center Nikola Pekovic added 12 points and 10 rebounds, while rookie forward Andrew Wiggins had 11 points.
Injuries prevented some of the teams’ marquee players from participating. Forward Blake Griffin sat out his 13th contest as he recovers from surgery on his right elbow. Guard Jamal Crawford, the reigning Sixth Man of the Year, missed his second game with a right calf contusion.
Coach Doc Rivers said before the game there is no timetable for either players’ return, though he indicated Griffin would probably be back before Crawford.
The Timberwolves were without forward Kevin Garnett, who coach Flip Saunders decided to rest.
Griffin and Crawford’s absence didn’t slow the Clippers. They led 48-39 at the break, limiting the Timberwolves to 35.6 percent in the first half while converting 45 percent of their shots. Los Angeles also made seven of 17 from 3-point range, while Minnesota missed all three of its attempts. Overall, Los Angeles connected on 44.3 percent shooting to 37.3 for the Timberwolves. The Clippers hit 11 of 31 3-pointers to two of eight for Minnesota.
After building a 74-62 advantage after three quarters, the Clippers blew the game open in the final period.
NOTES: Clippers coach Doc Rivers was amused with the $10,000 fine issued by the NBA to reserve G Dahntay Jones for bumping Golden State Warriors F Draymond Green during a nationally televised postgame interview Sunday. “Wow, that was such a violent bump,” joked Rivers, who became aware of the incident via a 5:30 a.m. text that woke him Monday from President of Basketball Operations Rod Thorn. “It’s amazing. I told Dahntay ‘You have to be careful, that was too hard.’ I guess that tough guy at Golden State. … I guess the bump was too hard for him.” … The Clippers honored play-by-play Ralph Lawler, who is in his 36th season with the club, ranking him as the third-longest tenured broadcaster in the league. … Both teams are on the road Wednesday. Minnesota visits the Phoenix Suns, while Los Angeles plays the Thunder in Oklahoma City.