San Antonio Spurs lead by four at the half

When the San Antonio Spurs converted on 6-of-10 shots to begin the game, including five assists, it seemed that the Los Angeles Clippers would be in store for an absolute scintillating offense performance. That did not come as the Spurs hold a four-point lead at the half.

Tim Duncan dominated inside and Manu Ginobili peppered the Clippers defense with an array of 3-pointers. At the end of the first quarter, they combined for 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting.

Mo Williams and Nick Young quelled the Spurs’ offensive output with a couple of long 3-pointers late in the first quarter that spurred a 13-2 run that cut the Spurs lead to four points. Williams finished with five points and Young added six points, respectively.

Blake Griffin scored 11 points on 3-of-8 shooting predominately relying on six free throw attempts to assuage his 37.5 field goal percentage. Once again, the Spurs limited Chris Paul’s effectiveness on the pick-and-roll which, if the trend continues, will eliminate one of the Clippers’ most effective offensive weapons. Paul scored two points in 15:47 of action.

Not only has Paul been largely nonexistent for the majority of the half, but turnovers are hurting the Clippers significantly. They have turned the ball over 12 times which led to six Spurs points. The lack of ball security will be a killer against the No. 1 offensive team in the league.