Thursday, February 23, 2012 - Added 48 minutes ago
addCustomPlayer('w2g1pjfvsd0a1il9r2lcqd0vt', 'a3c2572eccce4b7f8e5d61c8a0a809f3', '1u1bzbitq0nor1vjoinkktzf71', 440, 328, 'perfw2g1pjfvsd0a1il9r2lcqd0vt-1u1bzbitq0nor1vjoinkktzf71', 'eplayer15');LOS ANGELES — Chris Paul and Blake Griffin will start for the Western Conference in the NBA All-Star Game on Sunday night. On Wednesday night, they showed why.
Griffin and Paul combined for 63 points in the Clippers’ final game before the break, snapping a two-game losing streak with a 103-95 victory over the Denver Nuggets at Staples Center.
"Obviously," Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro said, "Chris and Blake were just huge."
Paul, coming off a pair of uncharacteristically bad performances at the end of the Clippers’ past two losses, was at his best all night Wednesday. Paul scored 36 points on just 16 shots while dishing out nine assists.
"He had 36? Wow," center DeAndre Jordan said. "He was on tonight."
Griffin dominated around the rim, dunking over seemingly everyone on the Denver roster during his 27-point, 12-rebound night.
Jordan also came up big, grabbing 16 rebounds to go with 10 points.
"I knew we needed to get this win for our team," Jordan said. "We owed them too. They smacked us pretty good the last time we played, and we just really needed to get this win."
Denver, playing without forward Nene, leading scorer Danilo Gallinari, point guard Ty Lawson and deep threat Rudy Fernandez, managed to fight the Clippers the entire game. Neither team led by more than five until late in the game, when the Clippers pulled away.
Arron Afflalo led Denver (18-16) with 20 points.
The win snaps a two-game winning streak for the Clippers, sending them into the All-Star break with positive momentum.
"We’re doing OK, but we still have a lot more work to do," Jordan said. "We’ll watch film and enjoy these days off."
The Clippers return to Staples Center Tuesday to host the Minnesota Timberwolves for their last game in February.
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Clippers forward Blake Griffin, top, puts up a shot as Denver Nuggets forward Corey Brewer defends during the second half of their NBA basketball game, Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2012, in Los Angeles. Christian Audigier ed hardy clothing Ed Hardy Kids T-Shirts
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