LOS ANGELES -- Consistent and timely perimeter shooting by Blake Griffin and Jared Dudley, along with a season-high 36 assists, helped the Los Angeles Clippers to a satisfying start to 2014 following their most lopsided defeat of the season. Phil Jones Manchester United Jersey . Griffin scored 13 of his 31 points in the final 7:05 and Dudley got 11 of his 20 points in the third quarter, leading the defending Pacific Division champions to a 112-85 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats on Wednesday night. "Dud is a shooter. Every time I see him shoot it, I think its going in, so were going to keep feeding him like that," Clippers point guard Chris Paul said. "Its all about confidence. We also have the utmost confidence in Blake. He works so hard, and it was great to see it all come together for him tonight. That was unreal. They didnt know what to do." Dudley faced his second former team in two games, making seven of 10 shots against the club that selected him with their first pick in 2007 and traded him to Phoenix after one season. He had nine points against the Suns on Monday in the Clippers 107-88 loss. "For me, to see the ball go in once or twice, it breeds confidence," said Dudley, who came in shooting a career-worst 44 per cent from the field. "Ive just got to be aggressive, and obviously make shots. I know when I play well, our team usually plays well. When you move the ball from side to side, it opens things up more. Sometimes when I do score, it just gives the other guys the confidence to do other things. But when Im not shooting the ball well, I have to do all the little things." Paul had 17 points and 14 assists, helping the Clippers beat the Bobcats for the sixth straight time and send them to their 17th straight road loss against Western Conference opponents. "We had 36 assists tonight, and you could see what we worked on yesterday at practice with ball movement," coach Doc Rivers said. "It was quick. The ball was flying around the floor, and that makes us really good. It makes it harder to guard Chris and Blake because you cant key on those guys. I think we got away from that a little bit, so its good that that came back tonight." Al Jefferson and Kemba Walker each scored 14 points for the Bobcats, whose previous six losses all were decided by five points or fewer. "Those guys played really well," Walker said. "They picked up their defence, made us take tough shots, and we werent able to make them. On the offensive end, they moved the ball really well, shared the ball and made shots. We just couldnt get over the hump in the second half." Dudley jump-started the Clippers in the third quarter with a 3-pointer and a 22-footer, and they pulled away to a 75-62 lead on DeAndre Jordans tip-in with 6:19 left in the third quarter. Dudley opened the fourth with another 3 to give Los Angeles an 84-69 cushion. But as hot as he was at the time, Dudley passed up a 3-point shot and drove the lane before dishing off to Ryan Hollins for a layup that resulted in a three-point play and an 87-71 advantage with 10:05 left. Griffin, who began the final quarter on the bench after picking up his fourth foul with 5.2 seconds left in the third, reported back in with 7:56 remaining and made four perimeter jumpers during a 1:33 span -- the first two from 21 feet and the next two from 18 feet -- to give the Clippers a 97-78 cushion with 5:32 left. "You never want to give anybody anything, especially a very good player like him. But thats the toughest shot in the NBA -- the long 2," Bobcats forward Josh McRoberts said. "Defensively, maybe we could have done a bit better job." For good measure, Griffin added his seventh 3-pointer of the season with 1:50 on the clock for a 102-83 lead. The Bobcats didnt make a field goal after Jeffersons 16-footer with 4:04 remaining. Charlotte shot 38.2 per cent from the field, making the Clippers 40-1 since the start of last season when holding an opponent under 42 per cent. "It was all about our defence and energy, and moving the ball," Paul said. "We had a great practice yesterday where we competed and just talked about moving the ball. We did tonight, and things came a little bit easier." Paul had 17 points and seven assists during a seesaw first half that included 18 lead changes, and both teams shot over 50 per cent before leaving the court at intermission tied at 56. Neither club led by more than four points until Chris Douglas-Roberts converted an offensive rebound into a layup to give the Bobcats a 43-37 margin with 6:41 left in the second quarter. The Bobcats came in having allowed the second-fewest points in the paint (35.
and second-fewest fast-break points (9.9). The Clippers ended up with 38 and 15, respectively, after averaging 40.2 and 16.3 in both categories. NOTES: The Clippers are 4-2 on New Years Day since the franchise relocated to Los Angeles in 1984-85, and 6-5 including the years in Buffalo and San Diego. ... Charlottes Steve Clifford is one of nine rookie coaches in the NBA this season. The only ones with a winning record are Phoenixs Jeff Hornacek and Atlantas Mike Budenholzer. ... Griffin has committed 43 turnovers in his last 12 games, including a career-worst eight last Saturday against Utah. ... Walker has scored in double figures in 22 straight games, the longest such streak of his career. ... Charlotte came in having allowed an average of 93.8 points, third-lowest in the league. Last season the Bobcats had the second-most porous defence, giving up 102.7 per game. ... The Bobcats have gotten double-digit scoring from both Walker and Jefferson in each of the last 20 games. The club record for a tandem is 28 games, by Jason Richardson and Gerald Wallace in 2007-08. Nick Powell Jersey . Bryan Murray made an announcement after the GMs meetings - and as was reported by Pierre LeBrun a couple of weeks ago - that Jason Spezza wants a trade out of Ottawa. Whats the latest on that? Pierre LeBrun: Yes, he made it public. Anders Lindegaard Jersey . -- It wouldnt bother Zack Greinke if he didnt have to travel for the Los Angeles Dodgers opener against Arizona in Australia.Calgary Stampeders wide receiver Maurice Price confirmed on Twitter on Monday night that he incurred a broken hand in Saturdays 29-8 win over the Montreal Alouettes. "I guess its [sic] no longer a secret," he tweeted. "Yes its true, I suffered a fractured left hand in the 3rd of Saturdays season opener. This really SUX [sic] !!" As of yet, there is no comment from the team on the injury. The 28-year-old Price, in his third year with the Stampeders, only had one reception on Saturday, but it was a 102-yard touchdown, good for the games longest catch. Thee Stampeders already had one significant injury to deal with coming out of Saturday, so Prices injury will only compound matters. Will Keane Jersey. Superstar running back and 2013 Most Outstanding Player suffered what appeared to be a concussion in the fourth quarter. He was taken from the field in an ambulance. "I was knocked out," Cornish said following the game. "Im going to have to go through concussion protocol 100 per cent. The Stampeders have a bye in Week 2 and dont see action until July 12 when they travel to the Rogers Centre to take on the Toronto Argonauts. cheap nfl jerseys ' ' '
