Spurs go joint second after win over Clippers

San Antonio took advantage of LA being without Chris Paul and comfortably beat the Clippers 116-92 to go joint second.

Spurs forward Tiago Splitter (22) had 22 points before he went off with a shoulder injury [Reuters]

San Antonio took advantage of Los Angeles being without injured All-Star Chris Paul and comfortably beat the Clippers 116-92 in Saturday’s clash of NBA divisional leaders.

The win moved the Spurs into equal second in the Western Conference standings, behind new leader Oklahoma City, which got a super performance from Kevin Durant in its comeback win over Minnesota and moved above Portland.

San Antonio’s Tiago Splitter had 22 points before leaving with a shoulder injury and Tim Duncan added 19 points and 11 rebounds.

Jamal Crawford scored 24 points for the Clippers who missed Paul after he suffered a shoulder injury on Friday against Dallas.

Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant scored 23 of his season-high 48 points in the fourth quarter and hit the winner with 4 seconds to play, rallying the Thunder from 13 points down in a 115-111 victory over Minnesota.

Durant went seven for 11 from the field and hit four 3-pointers in the final quarter, while Derek Fisher scored 13 points for the Thunder, who won despite being outscored 66-46 in the key.

Indiana, the overall league leader, improved to 26-6 by beating New Orleans 99-82, overcoming a seven-point halftime deficit.

Paul George had 24 points and 10 rebounds to lead four Pacers in double figures, with Lance Stephenson scoring 19 points on 8-of-12 shooting.

Four straight wins

Philadelphia made it four-straight wins – all on the road – by beating Portland 101-99, led by 30 points from Thaddeus Young.

Miami’s Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh each had 20 points, helping the Heat rally for a 110-94 win over state rival Orlando.

Chicago’s Mike Dunleavy scored 11 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter, steering the Bulls to a 91-84 victory against Atlanta.

Charlotte arrested a season-worst five-game losing skid by defeating Sacramento 113-103, with Kemba Walker scoring 30 points.

Brooklyn’s Paul Pierce had 17 points to move up to 19th place on the NBA’s career scoring list, above Allen Iverson, helping the Nets down Cleveland 89-82.

Source: AP