Griffin's dunk steal the Thunder
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Shanghai Daily, February 1, 2012
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Los Angeles Clippers power forward Blake Griffin dunks against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second half of their NBA game in Los Angeles on Monday. |
Blake Griffin delivered the dunk of the season on a rim-rattling slam over Kendrick Perkins to highlight the Los Angeles Clippers' 112-100 home victory over the NBA-leading Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday.
Griffin, the reigning Slam Dunk champion, took a pass from Chris Paul early in the third quarter and elevated above a defenseless Perkins before throwing the ball through the hoop viciously with his right hand.
"That was unbelievable, man," Clippers guard Chauncey Billups told reporters of Griffin's dunk. "We're going to be seeing that one for years. I can't wait to see that on TV myself."
The instant highlight gave the Clippers a 21-point lead and sent them on their way to snapping the Thunder's four-game winning streak.
Paul orchestrated the victory with 26 points and 14 assists while Griffin and Caron Butler added 22 points each as Los Angeles (12-6) got their second win over a top Western Conference team in as many nights, having defeated Denver on Sunday.
Kevin Durant scored a game-high 36 points and had 13 rebounds while Russell Westbrook had 31 but the Thunder (16-4) fell behind by 11 after the first quarter and never recovered.
The Clippers led by seven late in the second before busting out four straight three-pointers to grab an 18-point halftime lead.
With Oklahoma City hanging around in the fourth, Paul scored eight straight in the final few minutes to bring home his team's third consecutive win.
Though the victory was never truly in doubt, the Staples Center crowd was still buzzing from Griffin's big play, which was reminiscent of a memorable dunk he had over former New York player Timofey Mozgov last season.
"This time my fingers hit the rim. It was kind of similar," Griffin said. "(Making a big dunk) always gives you that extra . Whatever it is."
Elsewhere in NBA, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade each scored 22 points, and Mike Miller added 14 off the bench as the Miami Heat beat the New Orleans Hornets 109-95. Also, it was: Bulls 98, Wizards 88; Mavericks 122, Suns 99; 76ers 74, Magic 69; Timberwolves 120, Rockets 108; Spurs 83, Grizzlies 73; Bucks 103, Pistons 82; and Jazz 93, Trail Blazers 89.
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