Blake Griffin had 24 points and 12 rebounds, and the playoff-bound Clippers beat the Lakers 109-95 yesterday in Los Angeles to clinch the first Pacific Division title in franchise history against a team that has long overshadowed them.
Chris Paul added 24 points and 12 assists in helping the Clippers sweep the Lakers 4-0 for the first time since the 1974-75 season as the Buffalo Braves.
Dwight Howard scored 25 points, including 9 of 13 free throws, for the Lakers, who played without injured starters Steve Nash and Metta World Peace.
The Lakers fell out of the final Western Conference playoff spot by one-half game when the Jazz beat the Warriors last night. The Jazz own the tiebreaker.
Jazz 97, Warriors 90
In Oakland, Mo Williams scored 25 points, Al Jefferson added 19 points and 12 rebounds, and the Jazz regained the Western Conference’s final playoff position.
Williams made a 3-pointer with 13.4 seconds remaining to put the Jazz ahead by six and spoil the Warriors’ shot to clinch a playoff berth in front of a sellout crowd of 19,596.
Pistons 99, Bulls 85
In Auburn Hills, , Brandon Knight scored 20 points to help the Pistons snap an 18-game losing streak against the Bulls.
Carlos Boozer had 21 points and 10 rebounds for the postseason-bound Bulls, who led by as many as 11 points in the first quarter and are fighting the Nets to secure the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference.
Celtics 107, Wizards 96
In Boston, Brandon Bass scored 20 points and the Celtics, helped by the return of Kevin Garnett (12 points) and Paul Pierce (15 points), beat the Wizards.
Mavericks 96, Blazers 91
In Portland, Chris Kaman scored a season-high 26 points and Dallas (38-39) boosted its faint playoff hopes. Kaman added 11 rebounds for the Mavs, who are 2 1/2 games back of Utah for the eighth spot in the Western Conference.