By the Associated Press
LOS ANGELES — Montrezl Harrell scored 23 points and the Los Angeles Clippers survived without Paul George in the second half to beat the Detroit Pistons 126-112 on Thursday night, winning consecutive games for the first time since Dec. 13.
Los Angeles Clippers forward Montrezl Harrell dunks as Detroit Pistons guard Bruce Brown watches during the first half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, Jan. 2, 2020, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
George didn’t return after halftime because of left hamstring tightness. He finished with 12 points.
Lou Williams added 22 points and Kawhi Leonard had 18 in three quarters for the Clippers, who had alternated wins and losses for nearly three weeks.
Bruce Brown led nine Pistons in double figures with 15 points. Andre Drummond added 10 points and 12 rebounds. They’ve lost four in a row on the road and eight of nine overall.
Trailing by nine, the Clippers took control in the second quarter. They outscored the Pistons 35-20, including runs of 9-0 and 10-0, to take a 69-63 lead into halftime. George hit back-to-back 3-pointers and Leonard followed with another 3. Seven different Clippers scored in the spurts.
Once George was sidelined, his teammates stepped up. Landry Shamet hit consecutive 3-pointers that extended the lead to 18 points in the third. Maurice Harkless, who started, Williams and Harrell combined to score 13 of the Clippers’ final 15 points and send them into the fourth leading 106-79.
Detroit scored on consecutive possessions just once in the third.
Harrell and Williams anchored the second unit in the fourth when the starters rested. The Pistons outscored the Clippers 33-20, but they had too big a deficit to overcome.
Source: Manila Bulletin
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