Los Angeles Clippers vs San Antonio Spurs: Takeaways

The San Antonio Spurs (57-10) scored 37 in the final quarter to defeat the Los Angeles Clippers (42-24) 108-87 Tuesday night. Spurs are 33-0 at the AT&T Center this season.

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The battle between two Western Conference teams that are no strangers to one another looked as if it would go down to the final minutes to find out the winner. San Antonio used a fourth quarter outburst that would solidify the teams 42nd-consecutive win at the AT&T Center.

No place like home indeed for the Spurs as they are the leagues top-defensive team and have won 42 of their 57 by double-digits, a franchise record. It has and always will be a team effort for the Spurs.Not one player looks do dominate. Precise movement and knowing where everyone else on the floor has been a pretty good formula for San Antonio.

The emergence of Kawhi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge has made the Spurs less reliant on their bench than in previous years. But the Clippers learned San Antonio’s reserves still are key to the teams success.

Leonard had 20 points and the Spurs wore down the short-handed Clippers to match the second-longest home winning streak to open a season in NBA history.

Aldridge finished with 14 points on 7-of-16 shooting.

San Antonio got a much needed boost from their bench in a big game. Spurs outscored Clippers 51-20. Patty Mills had 15 points and Manu Ginobili added 13 off the bench for the Spurs.

In the fourth it would be the relentless play of Spurs backup David West that would be the x-facto. West tipped in missed shots on successive possessions and then delivered a hard screen that freed Mills for a jumper from the top of the key for an 82-72 lead with 9 minutes remaining. West finished with eight points.

Chris Paul almost single handedly put the Clippers on his back as he had one of his best games of the season against San Antonio. Paul had 22 points on 9-for-16 shooting and dished out eight assists.

Mar 15, 2016; San Antonio, TX, USA; San Antonio Spurs small forward Kyle Anderson (1) shoots the ball as Los Angeles Clippers shooting guard Jamal Crawford (11, left) defends during the first half at AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

San Antonio shot 53-percent for the game and assisted on 25 of their 44 made baskets. Spurs largest lead of the game was as much as 22.

-Tim Duncan Reaches Another Milestone

Duncan moved passed John Havlicek to #14 on the All-Time Scoring list. He stands now at 26,399.

-Spurs Bench Provides Spark

Mills, West and Ginobili provided the spark from the bench that outscored the Clippers. Tony Parker was not effective on the offensive side of the ball and that is where Mills picked up. West was a bruiser and showed his strength down the stretch. Ginobili started off slow but finished with a strong game as he hit key shots including a huge 3-point bucket.

-Spurs Double-Digit Wins

With their win, the Spurs have won 42 games this season by double-digits, a franchise record.

Star Performer: David West

West came off the bench and provided the spark and spunk the Spurs needed to take down a Clippers team that gave the Spurs struggles for the first three quarters. Always working on both ends of the floor and not settling for anything less, West made a huge impact.

Notes:

—Tim Duncan: 6 points, 7 rebounds

—Tony Parker: 2 points, 5 assists, 2 rebounds

—Danny Green: 12 points (4-5 3PT)

–Spurs were 8-of-20 from 3-PT (40-percent)

–Spurs had 25 assists.

–Outscored Clippers in the paint, 40-30

Next: ESPN NBA Analysts: Spurs Have No Weaknesses