NBA Game Summary - LA Clippers at Philadelphia
Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - Chris Paul had 25 points and seven assists and the Los Angeles Clippers clinched a playoff berth with a 119-98 rout of the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday night.
DeAndre Jordan added 17 points and 20 rebounds and J.J. Redick scored 19 for the Clippers, who have won six in a row and currently hold the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference.
They clinched a franchise-record fourth consecutive playoff berth.
"Getting in (the playoffs) is the goal," Clippers head coach Doc Rivers said. "Whoever gets in wants to win (the title)."
Nerlens Noel poured in a career-high 30 points, seven above his previous best, as the Sixers returned home after snapping a 16-game road losing streak with a win over Denver on Wednesday to salvage a 1-2 trip against Western Conference teams.
Noel, continuing his fine month and bolstering his modest chances to win Rookie of the Year, added 14 rebounds, two assists and two steals. Ish Smith scored 18 in the loss and Luc Mbah a Moute had 13 points off the bench.
The Clippers drew the rebuilding Sixers two days after beating the NBA-worst Knicks by 31 points in New York and never trailed.
They shot almost 54 percent in the game and made 12 of their 29 3-pointers.
"We're so proud of (our defense) and we had a tough time dealing with them," Sixers coach Brett Brown said. "They can do so many things. ... You have this menu to figure out what you can try to guard."
Paul had 14 points and four assists in the first quarter, ending the period on a personal 9-0 run to give the Clippers a 34-19 lead. Los Angeles shot a shade under 62 percent in the first quarter but cooled off in the second, shooting a little over 39 percent.
Noel scored 12 of his 30 points in the second, Smith added 11 and the pair scored seven in a 9-0 run at the end of the half to get the Sixers within 62-54 after they trailed by 19.
But the Clippers pulled away in the third quarter, beginning it with an 8-0 burst behind Paul and Blake Griffin and going up by as many as 27 points. It reached as high as 32 points in the fourth quarter.