Follow Us on Facebook Follow Us on Twitter VI Mobile College Basketball March Mayhem Picks College Basketball March Mayhem Picks VegasInsider.com VegasInsider.com
Handicapper Bios Sports Picks Free Odds Contests Sportsbook
Sports Betting Home NFL NBANHLMLBNCAA FBNCAA BKGolfAutoHorsesBoxingVI More Sports
 
NBA Scores Matchups Teams Standings Schedules Injuries News
 
 · Latest News
 · Player Updates
 · Transactions
Buy Picks Vegas Odds
 
 · Vegas Odds
 · Offshore Odds
 · Future Odds
 
Recap: Clippers 100, Bobcats 94
Line Movements
Date: December 12, 2012 7:30 PM EDT
  

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) - Chris Paul isn't sure when the Los Angeles Clippers will lose again.

For now he's not going to think about and just enjoy the ride.

Paul had 19 points and 10 assists as the Clippers defeated the Charlotte Bobcats 100-94 Wednesday night for their eighth straight win, their longest streak in 21 seasons.

Advertisement

``It's cool,' Paul said. ``It just means we're playing all right now. But we're not satisfied. We have to keep playing the right way and keep this thing going. Sometimes you're going to win and play bad and sometimes you're going to play well and lose. For us it's all about being consistent.'

Blake Griffin and Matt Barnes also scored 19 points in a balanced scoring attack for the Clippers, who maintained sole possession of first place in the Pacific Division.

It was by no means a thing of beauty as the Clippers struggled to put the Bobcats away one night after a tough win in Chicago.

``It was kind of one of those grind-it-out games,' Griffin said. ``But those are the type of games you have to win if you're going to be a great team.'

Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro said his team certainly didn't play its best game by any stretch, but left thrilled to extend the win streak - Los Angeles' longest since an eight-game run during the 1991-92 season.

``I think it's a good sign for us that we're finding ways to win,' Del Negro said. ``Everyone is contributing, locking really hard when we need to and making sure we're consistent on some things. We just got to get a little sharper.

``You know we missed a lot of easy shots tonight, a lot of layups, a lot of floaters, a lot of fast breaks - things we usually convert. But we battled. We got stops at the end and that is what counts.'

Byron Mullens had 19 points and eight rebounds and Kemba Walker chipped in with 17 points to lead the Bobcats, who have lost nine straight since starting the season 7-5.

Charlotte trailed 78-71 entering the fourth quarter and got as close as three before Barnes scored on a fast break dunk off an alley-oop pass from Jamal Crawford. Barnes followed up by knocking down a 3-pointer from the corner on the next possession to push the lead back to eight.

Charlotte could never make another serious run at the lead getting no closer than five due in large part to shooting just 32 percent from the field in the final period. The Bobcats also turned it over three times in the fourth, leading to seven points for the Clippers.

Coach Mike Dunlap said his team is understandably ``frustrated' but believes it will keep improving as they gain more experience.

``Offensively we had some turnovers and that's our Achilles,' said Dunlap, in his first year with the Bobcats. ``We've got to learn how to be down three or five (points) and execute in those situations.'

Added Bobcats guard Gerald Henderson: ``A couple of times we were close right in there. We either couldn't get a stop or got a little stagnant on offense and couldn't make a shot. But, that's the kind of basketball we kind of need to play, is scrappy, and get after it and just fight. I mean, that's a tough team. That's a really tough team.'

Paul struggled from the field hitting just 5 of 13 shots, but had a big 3 in the fourth to essentially put the game away.

Griffin had some magnificent dunks early on, including a baseline move to get by Bismack Biyombo before curling up on the other side of the rim, elevating and slamming it home hard.

Griffin also did it on the defensive end.

When Mullens tried to dunk over Griffin, the Clippers' star deflected the ball and it got wedged between rim and the backboard resulting in a jump ball at midcourt.

With his former coach at Kentucky, John Calipari, sitting courtside, Bobcats rookie Michael Kidd-Gilchrist looked sharp in the early going and finished with 11 points and eight rebounds for the Bobcats. Kidd-Gilchrist attacked the rim strong, but his awkward-looking jump shot continues to be an issue that'll need to be addressed.

Calipari said Kidd-Gilchrist will be an ``unbelievable player' at the NBA level when he gets a few years under his belt.

``He's going to get better and better and better because he works,' Calipari said. ``The motor that he has and the toughness and the will to win, that's something you can't invent or fake.'

The Clippers took a 49-44 lead at the break with 34 points coming inside the paint and 10 of those off fast breaks. The Bobcats, meanwhile, didn't score at all in transition in the first half.

NOTES: North Carolina Tar Heels football coach Larry Fedora was attended the game. ... Walker came in averaging 22 points in his last five games and has scored in double digits in all but one of his 21 games. ... Bismack Biyombo has had at least eight rebounds in five straight games. ... It was Paul's ninth double-double of the season. .. The Clippers had a season-high-tying 17 offensive rebounds.

AP NEWS
The Associated Press News Service

Copyright 2013
The Associated Press
All Rights Reserved

 CLOSING LAS VEGAS LINE
 Team  ML   SPR   O/U 
 LAC  -450   -8.5   200 
 CHA  +350   +8.5   
LAS VEGAS LINE MOVEMENTS

 CLOSING SPORTSBOOK LINE
 Team  ML   SPR   O/U 
 LAC  -420   -8.5   201 
 CHA  +330   +8.5   
OFFSHORE LINE MOVEMENTS

 BETTING TRENDS
 Team  ML   SPR   O/U 
 LAC  81%   66%   69% 
 CHA  19%   34%   31% 
BT MOVEMENTS

 NBA RECAPS
 Wednesday, Dec 12
 
  •  Hawks at Magic
7:05 PM EDT
  •  Cavaliers at Pacers
7:05 PM EDT
  •  Nets at Raptors
7:05 PM EDT
  •  Warriors at Heat
7:35 PM EDT
  •  Bulls at 76ers
7:35 PM EDT
  •  Clippers at Bobcats
7:35 PM EDT
  •  Mavericks at Celtics
8:05 PM EDT
  •  Kings at Bucks
8:05 PM EDT
  •  Wizards at Rockets
8:05 PM EDT
  •  Nuggets at Timberwolves
8:05 PM EDT
  •  Hornets at Thunder
8:05 PM EDT
  •  Grizzlies at Suns
9:05 PM EDT
  •  Spurs at Jazz
10:35 PM EDT
 
 
 
  
GOLD Membership
Over 150 Member Plays free each month. Signup Today!
 
 

NFL
NFL Sports Picks
NFL Vegas Odds
NFL Online Odds
NFL Matchups
NFL Scores

More Sports
Golf
Auto Racing
Horse Racing
Boxing
WNBA

MLB
MLB Sports Picks
MLB Vegas Odds
MLB Online Odds
MLB Matchups
MLB Scores

Features
Free Odds
Contests
Newsletters
VI Radio
Las Vegas Travel
Follow us on Twitter
Add us on Google+
Join us on Facebook

NBA
NBA Sports Picks
NBA Vegas Odds
NBA Online Odds
NBA Matchups
NBA Scores

Sports Betting Tools
Live Odds
Mobile Odds
Parlay Calculator
Gaming Terms
TV Listings
Handicapping Records
Sports Betting
About Sports Betting
Sportsbook Reviews

NHL
NHL Sports Picks
NHL Vegas Odds
NHL Online Odds
NHL Matchups
NHL Scores

VegasInsider Info
About Us
Help Center
Privacy Policy
Terms of Use
Refund Policy
Contact Us
User Feedback

College Football
NCAA FB Sports Picks
NCAA FB Vegas Odds
NCAA FB Online Odds
NCAA FB Matchups
NCAA FB Scores

Sportsbooks
CarbonSports · Review
SportBet · Review
Sportsbook · Review
TopBet.eu · Review

College Basketball
NCAA BK Sports Picks
NCAA BK Vegas Odds
NCAA BK Online Odds
NCAA BK Matchups
NCAA BK Scores

Rotation Schedules
Baseball: Mar 31 - June 02

Copyright © 1997-2013, VegasInsider.com Inc., The Global Leader In Sports Gaming Information. All rights reserved.
For questions or comments, please contact us at 1-800-211-4759.