Times wires
Saturday, March 19, 2011
LOS ANGELES — Some strange things have happened to the Clippers, during and after games in the team's 27 seasons in Los Angeles — but nothing like this.
About 1½ hours before the team's 100-92 win over the Cavaliers on Saturday, Staples Center was in lockdown while police subdued a man wielding a steak knife in front of the Cavs' bench. Both teams were safely tucked away in their dressing rooms during the standoff before the culprit was subdued by a beanbag gun, handcuffed and led away.
The incident did not delay the start of the game, which was followed by an NHL contest between the Kings and Ducks.
"That was crazy, man. There aren't too many knife standoffs in Oklahoma — not that I can remember. So it's a first for me," said Clippers rookie Blake Griffin, a former Sooners forward. "I was sitting in here next to D.J. (DeAndre Jordan), and Randy Foye came in and said: 'Yo, somebody just pulled a knife.' I was like, 'What?' And then they explained the whole thing. We were trapped in here for a while. But both teams had to go through it, so it didn't really put us at a disadvantage."
Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro and Cavs coach Byron Scott requested extra time for their teams to warm up but were turned down by the league office.
"We asked for 15 more minutes. In fact, we agreed on it — myself and Vinny — and the NBA said five, which I don't understand," Scott said. "I mean, either give us 15 or don't give us any. What's five minutes going to do? What the hell is that? That didn't make a whole lot of sense to me.
"It was a weird day, period," Scott added. "You had things happen throughout the day, but you've just got to kind of put it in the back of your mind and play basketball. And I think both teams did that."
Griffin had 30 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, helping the Clippers end a nine-game losing streak against the Cavs. Eric Gordon scored 29 in his return to the lineup.
Los Angeles avenged a 126-119 overtime loss at Cleveland on Feb. 11 that snapped the Cavs' NBA-record 26-game losing streak. It was the first time the team with the league's worst record lost to the Clippers since Dec. 3, 2005, at Los Angeles.
"Everybody was executing out there and hitting shots, and defensively we stepped it up a little bit in transition," Griffin said. "Any time Eric's out there, it just opens up the court for everybody. He's such a good scorer, he puts a lot of pressure on teams. So teams have to know where he is at all times."
Gordon, the Clippers' leading scorer, missed 18 games because of a sprained right wrist and small bone fracture that occurred Jan. 22. He sat out the previous six games after aggravating the injury in his second game back.
"I really tried to play with no restrictions," Gordon said. "I tried not to pay attention to it. If it gets knocked or banged, or if I land on the floor wrong like I did the other two times, it is what it is. But I've just got to keep on going out there and playing."
Game highlights: LeBron James scored 33, Dwyane Wade had 32, and the host Heat never trailed during a 103-98 victory over the Nuggets.
Chris Bosh posted a fifth-straight double-double, 18 points and 11 rebounds. But the Heat might have taken a significant hit when starting point guard Mario Chalmers was carried off the floor late in the first quarter with what was preliminarily diagnosed as a sprained right knee.
Around the league: Spurs forward Tim Duncan sat out against the visiting Bobcats, missing a game for the first time this season. Coach Gregg Popovich wanted to rest the perennial All-Star. … All-Star guard Deron Williams (strained right wrist) met with Nets officials to determine whether he'll play the last 15 games.
Heat 103, Nuggets 98
DENVER (98): Chandler 5-15 0-0 12, Martin 2-5 2-2 6, Nene 3-8 4-8 10, Lawson 7-15 1-2 16, Afflalo 0-2 1-2 1, Gallinari 5-12 11-12 23, Smith 11-19 1-2 27, Andersen 0-0 0-0 0, Forbes 1-2 0-0 3, Mozgov 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 34-78 20-28 98.
MIAMI (103): James 15-25 2-2 33, Bosh 4-9 10-11 18, Dampier 0-0 0-0 0, Chalmers 1-3 0-0 2, Wade 10-20 11-13 32, Magloire 0-0 0-0 0, Miller 0-1 0-0 0, Jones 0-3 0-0 0, Anthony 1-1 1-2 3, Bibby 5-9 0-0 14, House 0-0 1-1 1. Totals 36-71 25-29 103.
Denver 21 26 24 27— 98
Miami 29 27 23 24— 103
3-Point Goals—Denver 10-24 (Smith 4-9, Chandler 2-4, Gallinari 2-6, Forbes 1-1, Lawson 1-4), Miami 6-20 (Bibby 4-8, Wade 1-3, James 1-4, Chalmers 0-1, Bosh 0-1, Miller 0-1, Jones 0-2). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—Denver 46 (Martin 8), Miami 45 (Bosh 11). Assists—Denver 14 (Lawson 6), Miami 15 (Bosh 6). Total Fouls—Denver 19, Miami 22. Technicals—Denver defensive three second, James, Wade. A—19,600 (19,600).
Clippers 100, Cavaliers 92
CLEVELAND (92): Gee 3-5 3-3 9, Samuels 6-9 5-7 17, Hickson 12-18 4-4 28, Sessions 7-13 4-4 18, Parker 1-4 0-0 2, Hollins 0-0 1-2 1, Gibson 4-12 0-0 10, Eyenga 1-6 0-0 2, Harangody 1-5 0-0 2, Harris 1-3 0-0 3. Totals 36-75 17-20 92.
L.A. CLIPPERS (100): Gomes 1-1 0-0 2, Griffin 12-21 6-6 30, Jordan 0-1 0-0 0, Williams 3-6 3-4 11, Gordon 9-20 5-5 29, Kaman 2-9 0-0 4, Aminu 0-1 2-2 2, Bledsoe 3-5 0-0 6, Smith 6-9 0-0 12, Foye 1-4 1-1 4. Totals 37-77 17-18 100.
Cleveland 28 22 28 14— 92
L.A. Clippers 25 29 28 18— 100
3-Point Goals—Cleveland 3-15 (Gibson 2-9, Harris 1-1, Eyenga 0-1, Harangody 0-1, Parker 0-3), L.A. Clippers 9-17 (Gordon 6-10, Williams 2-3, Foye 1-2, Aminu 0-1, Griffin 0-1). Fouled Out—Samuels. Rebounds—Cleveland 43 (Hickson 9), L.A. Clippers 40 (Griffin 8). Assists—Cleveland 20 (Sessions 7), L.A. Clippers 25 (Griffin 8). Total Fouls—Cleveland 20, L.A. Clippers 16. Technicals—Samuels, Cleveland defensive three second 2. A—19,060 (19,060).