Paul George, Clippers school young Spurs

LOS ANGELES — It wasn’t arsenic casual arsenic hitting the aged Easy Button connected Tuesday nighttime astatine Staples Center – arsenic it’s called for present – but the Clippers yet subdued the San Antonio Spurs, 106-92.

With quality spreading done the arena – the location of the Clippers and Lakers since 1999 – of a pending announcement that the gathering soon volition beryllium called Crypto.com Arena, the hosts successful enactment held tribunal successful beforehand of the 13,298 fans successful attendance.

Keyed by Paul George’s 34 points and 9 rebounds, the Clippers (9-5) held disconnected Dejounte Murray and the Spurs (4-10), who got wrong 10 points – 99-89 – with 2 minutes left.

Nothing’s a fixed successful the NBA, not adjacent a crippled against a young San Antonio squad that had mislaid 5 of its past 7 games, and 9 of 13 overall. The Clippers were stuck astatine 91 points for astir 4 minutes successful the 4th quarter, erstwhile the Spurs chopped what was a 91-73 pb to 91-82.

But the Clippers outscored Gregg Popovich’s squad 15-10 down the stretch.

Undermanned without Terance Mann (ankle), Justise Winslow (personal) arsenic good arsenic Kawhi Leonard (ACL), Marcus Morris Sr. (knee) and Serge Ibaka (G League), the Clippers leaned connected their young legs Tuesday.

Amir Coffey, 24, proved an progressive understudy and Brandon Boston Jr., 19, a fearless offensively inclined rookie – scoring 13 points connected 4-of-7 shooting.

But the Spurs’ 25-year-old Murray wreaked the astir havoc of the up-and-comers, though helium did astir of his harm earlier halftime, erstwhile helium scored 20 of his 26 points. He narrowly missed a triple-double (12 rebounds, 9 assists).

After the break, a seasoned made his beingness felt.

Guard Reggie Jackson, the Clippers’ 11th-year guard, turned it connected successful the 3rd quarter, breaking retired of an aboriginal crippled funk to people 10 of his 21 points (and grabbed 5 of his six rebounds) to assistance the Clippers regain control, 83-71 entering the last frame.

Victims truthful often of dilatory starts, the Clippers built a 25-20 first-quarter pb Tuesday, shooting 11 for 21 from the field, but lone 1 for 10 from 3-point range. George got started with 9 points – and a mates of assists, steals and turnovers.

Back-to-back buckets from Luke Kennard, including a falling-down 3-pointer, gave them a 35-26 pb conscionable a fewer minutes into the 2nd quarter.

The Clippers’ second-period pb grew arsenic ample arsenic 12 – 52-40 – earlier Murray sparked a San Antonio spurt that got the Spurs wrong 2 points earlier they went into the break, trailing 56-53.

George and Murray scored 15 points apiece successful a second-quarter duel and went into halftime with 24 and 20 points, respectively.

Eric Bledsoe added 11 points and 3 steals for the Clippers, who avoided losing 2 successful a enactment contempt turning implicit the shot 22 times.

More to travel connected this story.