The Clippers thought a 22 point lead would be enough to staisfy a win, but the Hornets gave them a handfull. Chris Paul's 20 points and 8 assists and J.J. Redick's 23 points helped seal the deal for the Clippers. At one point in the third quarter, the Clippers had a 63-41 lead, until later the Hornets went on a 12-2 run to make the score 77-74. The honrets fought their way back getting to within 1 point multiple times but it wasn't enough as the Clippers hung on 99-92.
"That was awful. That stretch should have been avoided," coach Doc Rivers said. "I thought it started when we had the 18-point lead. Then we had four turnovers in a row, and the game changed at that moment. If it was a one-point game, we never would have played that way during that turnover-fest. That was the only disappointing part of the game for me."
Mo Williams had 18 points and 8 assists, and Al Jefferson had 21 points in the loss.
"We had a chance at the end, but things didn't workout for us," Jefferson said. "I guarantee you that if we continue to play the way we played tonight, we'll be OK."
Charlotte is in the running for the 7th-seed in the East, and a victory would have put them in a 4-way tie. "It's a focus of ours each and every game," Williams said. "Every game is a must win, and every game we lose puts more pressure on us."