The Clippers, with the help of their offensive surge in the second half, beat the defending NBA champs in the first game of their playoff series. 

Chris Paul scored 32, dished out 6 assists and pulled down 7 rebounds. Blake Griffin went for 26 points and 12 rebounds, displaying his usual array of electrifying dunks. The Clippers shot exceptionally from the 3PT line, going 10-18 (55.6%).

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The Spurs, like always, played strong with their bench scoring nearly half their points. 5 players scored in double digits, Kawhi topped the Spurs' scoring, with 18 points on 7-12 shooting, adding 4 steals to show why he led the NBA in steals. Tim Duncan had 11 points and 11 rebounds. San Antonio struggled in FG% (36.6%) and FT% (53.8%). 

The game was close in the first half, but the Clippers outscored the Spurs 30-21 in the second half. This proved too much for Popovich’s struggling Spurs, giving Game 1 to LA. Game 2 will be played on Wednesday, April 22nd at LA, 10:30pm ET.