LOS ANGELES – – Patty Mills reached his career record by eight out of 3 points and scored 27 points off the bench, and the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 116-113 on Tuesday night for a four-leg skid. games.
Dejounte Murray added 21 points, Rudy Gay had 16 points, LaMarcus Aldridge 14 points and Keldon Johnson grabbed an 11-rebound career record for Spurs. They led for 24 in the first quarter and withstood Kawhi Leonard’s attack in the third before almost blowing up their lead in the fourth.
Spurs tied a franchise record with 20 points out of 3 points.
“It was a mentality that we adopted on the defensive. It has nothing to do with kicking the ball, ”said Mills. “Playing in the team’s defense like that fuels fire and confidence so that everyone can play with the same type of energy.”
Leonard scored 30 points, the best mark in the game, and made 10 assists. He scored 11 points in the third, when Patrick Beverley scored three 3 points, and the Clippers closed with one. Nicolas Batum had 21 points and nine rebounds, and Beverley finished with 20 points.
“He was accelerating the pace of the transition, picking up the paint and throwing it at the snipers,” Leonard said of Beverley. “He was very active in defense.”
The Clippers were without Paul George, who sprained his ankle in Sunday’s win over Phoenix. They missed their averages of 25.1 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game.
Spurs opened the room with a 12-2 straight, which restored their lead to double digits. Mills hit three consecutive points to increase San Antonio’s lead to 111-96.
But the Clippers kept trying. They closed the game with a 17-5 streak, despite Leonard scoring just two points in the fourth quarter when his right-hand shot five seconds from time failed due to DeMar DeRozan’s defensive pressure.
“This is what we wanted,” said Spurs’ new guard Devin Vassell. “We knew they wouldn’t be able to open 3 off.”
The Clippers scored 40 points in the third to pull to 85-84. Leonard had 11 points and Beverley hit three points out of 3 to help them recover from 19 negative points in the interval.
Spurs opened the second quarter with an 18-3 straight that increased the lead to 54-30. Five players scored, led by Murray with five points. Leonard scored the Clippers’ final 11 points.
TIP-INS
Spurs: They have the youngest cast in the franchise since Gregg Popovich became a coach in 1996, with an average age of 25.5 years.
Clippers: F Marcus Morris Sr. hasn’t played this season yet because of a pain in his right knee.
HE SAID
“Four days in your room in LA. Shoot me. ”- Popovich in consecutive games in the same city.
NEXT
Spurs: Stay in Los Angeles to face the Lakers on Thursday.
Clippers: Visit Steph Curry and Golden State on Wednesday in the first of a back-to-back.
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