No Blake Griffin, no problem for the Clippers.
LA, again playing without its All-Star forward, beat the Wizards 108-91 on Monday night in Washington for its third straight win.
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Griffin is out for at least two weeks after suffering a partially torn quadriceps tendon on Christmas against the Lakers.
The Clippers made up for Griffin's absence with a combined 28 points and 19 rebounds from the center combo of DeAndre Jordan and Cole Aldrich. They also got 21 points off the bench from guard Jamal Crawford, who has been struggling on offense this season. And Chris Paul was Chris Paul, scoring 23 points, dishing out seven assists and collecting five rebounds, and even getting his first two dunks of the season.
The Clippers continued their streaky ways: They've won three in row, lost three in a row and won three in a row in their last nine games. Despite their inconsistency, the Clippers (19-13) are in fourth place in the Western Conference. If they can continue to win without Griffin, they may still be a factor in the conference later this season.
Tweet of the Night
The Bulls continue to play to the level of their competition.
And 10-10 against everybody else. https://t.co/0OnbBMbUQ6
— Steve Aschburner (@AschNBA) December 29, 2015Studs of the Night
Stephen Curry played a brilliant all-around game, coming up with a triple-double in the Warriors' 122-103 win over the Kings on Monday night. The reigning league MVP had 23 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists as the Warriors improved to an NBA-best 29-1.
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Washington's John Wall had a solid game (23 points, 11 assists and five rebounds), but that didn't stop his Wizards from losing to the Clippers.
Monday night's game in Charlotte was supposed to be about Kobe Bryant returning to face the team that drafted him in 1996, but Kemba Walker stole the show. Walker had 38 points, six rebounds, five assists and four steals as the Hornets won 108-98. Bryant did lead the Lakers with 20 points.
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Dud of the Night
The Bulls came up with a much-needed 104-97 win over the Raptors, but Jimmy Butler's offensive production wasn't up to par. The All-Star guard scored just five points on 2-for-7 shooting.
Looking ahead
Hawks (20-13) vs. Rockets (16-16), 8 p.m. ET: Both teams have been hot lately, but on Tuesday they will be looking to rebound from losses. The Hawks fell 93-87 to the Pacers on Monday and the Rockets lost 110-108 to the Pelicans on Saturday.