CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Paul George had 20 points and 10 rebounds, Reggie Jackson added 19 points off the bench on five 3-pointers and the Los Angeles Clippers handed the slumping Charlotte Hornets their fourth loss in the last five games, 113-90 on Thursday night (Friday, Manila time).
Kawhi Leonard had 16 points and nine rebounds for the Clippers, who are jockeying for playoff position in the Western Conference. The Clippers (47-23) remain in third place, one game ahead of the Denver Nuggets with two games remaining.
Kawhi Leonard tries to power his way through Terry Rozier.
LaMelo Ball had 18 points and seven assists for the Hornets in their regular-season home finale. Charlotte never really had a chance with guards Terry Rozier and Devonte Graham combining to shoot 4 of 20 from the field and 2 of 13 from beyond the arc.
The Hornets entered the night tied with the Indiana Pacers for the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference, but own the head-to-head tiebreaker with Indiana.
Former Hornets forward Nic Batum, who was booed relentlessly by fans during the game, gave the Clippers some breathing room with back-to-back 3-pointers to close out the third quarter and give the Clippers an 84-77 lead.
Los Angeles stayed hot in the fourth quarter, using drives and kickouts to knock down open 3s and build a 21-point lead, sending fans streaming to the exits with about 4 minutes remaining in the game.
TIP INS
Clippers: Shot 46.7% (21 of 45) from 3-point range. Batum finished with 11 points, but they came at key times.
Hornets: Miles Bridges could return this weekend after sitting out nearly two weeks as part of the league's health and safety protocol. ... Gordon Hayward has missed 22 games with a foot sprain. ... Rapper DaBaby watched the game from the crowd.
UP NEXT
Clippers: Visit the Rockets on Friday night.
Hornets: Wrap the regular season with road games Saturday at the Knicks and Sunday at the Wizards.
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