Griffin, Paul help Clips down Hawks
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Blake Griffin had 16 points and six rebounds and Chris Paul added 15 points and eight assists in the Los Angeles Clippers' 89-76 win over the Atlanta Hawks.
Caron Butler tallied 13 points and six boards for Los Angeles, which has won three straight.
Coming off consecutive 20-point efforts, DeAndre Jordan netted eight points in the victory.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Josh Smith registered 13 points and six rebounds, while Al Horford chipped in 11 points and nine boards for the Hawks, who have dropped two in a row on the on the heels of a brief two-game winning streak.
"We had too many turnovers and couldn't hit free throws," Atlanta head coach Larry Drew said.
The Hawks gave the ball away 22 times, which led to 24 Los Angeles points, and made just 7-of-16 (43.8 percent) free throw attempts.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Devin Harris' jumper pulled the Hawks within 65-62 early in the fourth, but a 20-3 Clippers run helped the hosts seize control of the contest.
Eric Bledsoe, who began the surge with a three-point play, had eight points during the swing. Matt Barnes' driving layup helped the Clippers establish a commanding 85-65 advantage with 3:48 left.
"We got about eight or nine stops in a row down the stretch," Griffin said of the long run.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Hawks held a slim 19-18 edge after a quarter of play, but Los Angeles took a 39-37 margin into the locker room.
The Clippers outscored the Hawks 26-23 in the third as they took a 65-60 advantage into the final frame.
"In the third quarter, we abandoned what was good for us for two and a half quarters," Drew said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Game Notes
There were 20 lead changes and eight ties in the contest ... The Clippers nailed all eight of their foul shots ... Atlanta outrebounded Los Angeles, 41-38.