The Los Angeles Clippers thumped the Cleveland Cavaliers with a commanding 133-92 victory on Sunday as Lou Williams and Paul George livened the party with 25 and 22 points respectively.
Making his debut for the Clippers, Marcus Morris Sr. scored 10 points. The victory came a day after a crushing 27-point defeat at the hands of the Minnesota Timberwolves. Los Angeles went into the game without Kawhi Leonard, who was rested for the game.
Drummond scores 19 points in his Cavaliers debut
Andre Drummond scored 19 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in his Cavaliers debut, while Kevin Porter Jr. added 17 points for Cleveland. The Cavaliers saw their losing streak extend to six games while also falling for the 13th time in their last 14 contests. Drummond was acquired at Thursday's NBA trade deadline from the Detroit Pistons, while Morris was acquired by the Clippers from the New York Knicks on the same day.
A day after giving up 40 points in the first quarter against the sharp-shooting Timberwolves a day earlier, the Clippers didn't allow their Sunday opponents to pass the 40-point threshold until just over three minutes remaining in the first half. The Clippers led 36-21 after the first quarter and held a comfortable 73-50 advantage at the break after they were up by as many as 27 points in the second quarter.
Clippers extend their winning streak over Cavaliers
Drummond scored his first points in a Cavaliers uniform on a basket inside 1:47 into the game. Morris scored his first points with the Clippers on a mid-range jumper with 5:44 remaining in the opening quarter. Morris, whose appeal to the Clippers included his long-range shooting, was 0-for-4 from 3-point range.
Montrezl Harrell had 19 points for the Clippers, while Landry Shamet had 11 and Amir Coffey had 10. Collin Sexton had 13 points for the Cavaliers, while Kevin Love had 10 points and nine rebounds. The Clippers improved to 15-1 in games immediately after a defeat, while winning for just the fourth time in the last 18 years at Cleveland. Los Angeles increased its winning streak over Cleveland to five games.
(With inputs from agencies)
