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By JEFF MEZYDLO

Posted Mar 23 2011 2:05AM Blake Griffin got the best of John Wall in a matchup of the last two overall No. 1 draft picks when the Los Angeles Clippers beat Washington earlier this month. After a rough outing in their last contest, Griffin and the Clippers look to bounce back with a fifth consecutive victory over Wall and the visiting Wizards on Wednesday night. Griffin scored all of his 26 points in the first half of Los Angeles' 122-101 win at Washington on March 12. "Blake Griffin is a phenomenal player," Washington coach Flip Saunders said. Though Los Angeles (27-44) shot 51.8 percent and scored its second-most points of the season against the Wizards, the Clippers have dropped three of four since that contest. Griffin is averaging 22.3 points during his stellar first season after missing all of 2009-10 with a knee injury, but has failed to score more than 17 in three of the last four. He was held to 17 and picked up a technical after fouling out on an offensive call in Sunday's 108-99 loss to Phoenix. "He's such a talented player," teammate Chris Kaman told the Clippers' official website. "He's gifted physically. He's had a monster rookie year. He's prevailing, but (Sunday) he was just frustrated. It was his competitiveness. He's so competitive. He hates losing and he always wants to win." Griffin finished with one more point than Wall, who had 25, eight assists and seven rebounds in their first meeting. Eric Bledsoe, Wall's teammate at Kentucky and the 18th overall pick in 2010, scored a career-high 23 points for Los Angeles at Washington. After totaling 47 points the previous two games, Wall was held to nine with seven assists as Washington (17-52) opened a five-game western trip with a 111-76 loss at Portland on Tuesday. Jordan Crawford scored a team-high 12 points as the Wizards shot 37.1 percent and matched their season low for points. "It was like we weren't even out there," Wall said. Washington is a dreadful 1-32 on the road, where it has lost seven in a row since winning 115-100 at Cleveland on Feb. 13. It has dropped two in a row and five of six at Los Angeles. Giving up 111.0 points per contest during their current road skid, the Wizards continue to struggle without injured starters Andray Blatche, Rashard Lewis and Nick Young. Blatche could miss a seventh straight game with a sprained right shoulder and Lewis his ninth in a row with a sore knee. It's uncertain if Young will miss his fifth straight because of a bruised knee. Crawford has been one of the few bright sports for Washington, averaging 19.3 points the last seven games. He had 16 against the Clippers. Kaman finished with 21 points and 11 rebounds Sunday and might get his second straight start in place of DeAndre Jordan, who could miss his second consecutive contest with a mild case of pneumonia. Kaman's averaged 18.2 points and 10.0 boards his last five home games versus Washington.

Copyright 2011 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited Copyright 2011 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited

Griffin gets first triple-double in Clips' 2OT win



Posted Mar 24 2011 3:13AM LOS ANGELES (AP) One night after Staples Center hosted its first triple-overtime matchup in the arena's 12-year history, the Clippers and Washington Wizards apparently caught the bug. Blake Griffin posted his first career triple-double and Eric Gordon scored 32 points to help the Clippers beat the Wizards 127-119 in double OT on Wednesday night. "It means a lot, but the best part about it was getting the win," Griffin said after finishing with 33 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists in a career-high 51 1/2 minutes. "It's always great to keep your teammates involved and keep them going, but you also have to give credit to these guys for hitting shots. It was pretty draining. We just needed to tough it out." As a footnote to his first triple-double, Griffin also got his 55th double-double - tying the Clippers' single-season record that Elton Brand set in 2001-02. Mo Williams added 17 points and 10 assists after getting only two points through the first three quarters, and Randy Foye hit a clinching 3-pointer in the final minute. "We showed some pretty good resiliency in the way we gutted it out and made some plays down the stretch," coach Vinny Del Negro said. "Nothing is easy in this league, and we battled through it." Chris Kaman, starting in place of the injured DeAndre Jordan, had 18 points and 12 rebounds for the Clippers, who won their first overtime game this season in five tries. But it shouldn't have come to those extra 10 minutes. Los Angeles committed 25 turnovers, which the Wizards converted into 31 points. "It was our carelessness," said Gordon, who had all five of his turnovers in the first overtime period. "We probably just moved a little too fast and that gave us fewer opportunities to score." Wizards guard John Wall tied it at 102 with a running floater over the outstretched arm of the 7-foot Kaman with 19 seconds left in the fourth quarter, and Griffin missed a 3-point attempt at the other end with a second on the clock. Gordon sent it into a second OT for the Clippers with a 3-pointer out of a timeout with 1.9 seconds left in the first overtime. Wall led Washington with 32 points and 10 assists, and Jordan Crawford had 25 points on 10-for-28 shooting after missing his first seven shots. JaVale McGee added 22 points and 13 rebounds. "It's tough to lose this game. We did everything we had to do," Wall said. "We fought hard, but down the stretch I missed a free throw that could have put us up by four and they just got the stops they needed. We didn't close it out." Washington is 1-33 on the road - the only victory coming against league-worst Cleveland on Feb. 13. The Wizards have seven chances left to avoid tying the worst road record for a regulation season in NBA history, set by the 1-40 Sacramento Kings in 1990-91. "They're hurting in there, and they should be," coach Flip Saunders said. "You get beat by 34 last night in Portland, you have a back-to-back, you get in late, and our guys still came out and competed. We played a lot of young guys, and our backcourt found a way to keep us in the game." In a matchup of the No. 1 overall picks from the 2009 and 2010 drafts - and the top two scorers this season among rookies - Griffin made 14 of 19 shots and Wall was 12 of 26. Wall's only triple-double was on Nov. 10 against Houston. The Wizards trailed by as many as 12 points after one quarter and didn't take their first lead until Crawford's 3-pointer put them ahead 69-68 with 3:01 left in the third. Notes: Jordan missed his second straight game with pneumonia. ... The Clippers have to go no worse than 6-5 the rest of the way to avoid reaching the 50-loss mark for the fourth straight season and 22nd time in the past 30 years, including their final three in San Diego. ... Eight rookies played in the game, five for Washington. ... The Wizards have lost the last 13 games in which they allowed 30 or more points by an opposing player. ... Griffin came within one assist of a triple-double on March 5 against Denver, and was within two assists on two other occasions.

Copyright 2011 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited Copyright 2011 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited