Auburn Hills, MI – Blake Griffin scored 15 points to lead a balanced Los Angeles scoring attack, as the Clippers earned their 10th straight victory with an 88-76 triumph over the Detroit Pistons Monday at the Palace of Auburn Hills.
Jamal Crawford also finished with 15 points, while Chris Paul added 14 along with seven assists for the Clippers, who are one win away from tying the franchise record for consecutive victories set by the Buffalo Braves from Nov. 3-23, 1974.
"I think that's the most wins I've ever had in a row since I've been in the league," Paul said of the Clippers' 10-game win streak. "It's nice to win, especially when you do it in a row."
Brandon Knight paced the Pistons with 16 points and five assists, while Tayshaun Prince donated 15 points and seven boards in the setback, Detroit's fifth in a row.
With the Pistons trailing, 63-60, heading into the fourth, Will Bynum opened the frame with a layup to cut the deficit to one, but the Clippers answered with a 12-2 sprint to build a 75-64 lead with under seven minutes remaining.
Knight poured in seven straight points to pull the Pistons within six, but the home team would get no closer, as Crawford and Griffin finished back- to-back buckets to press the lead back to double digits.
Detroit got within seven on a Knight free throw with 1:11 left before Griffin scored the final five points of the game to seal the outcome.
"I thought we did some good things on the offensive end for the majority of the game," Prince said. "Obviously late in the game we didn't execute like we wanted and that's when you have to execute the best."
The Pistons led 16-10 with just over four minutes left in the first quarter after a quick 7-0 surge, but the Clippers poured in 11 of the final 15 points in the frame to take a 21-20 edge into the second.
Los Angeles shot 47.4 percent (9-of-19) from the field in the second and led by as many as seven before Detroit closed the half with a quick 5-0 spurt to pull within 42-40 heading into the locker room.
Los Angeles opened the second half with a 16-6 surge, capped by Caron Butler's layup to give the Clippers a 58-46 advantage, but Detroit closed the quarter on a 14-5 spurt to pull within 63-60 heading into the final frame.
Game Notes
The Clippers haven't lost since Nov. 26 at home to the New Orleans Hornets ... Greg Monroe finished with 11 points, seven rebounds and six assists for the Pistons ... Los Angeles outscored Detroit, 46-34, in the paint.
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