By RAUL DOMINGUEZ The Associated Press
SAN ANTONIO — Paul George is having himself quite a week, and the Clippers are reaping the benefits.
George scored 32 points and the Clippers rallied to beat the San Antonio Spurs, 113-106, on Friday night for their third straight victory.
John Wall had 15 points and six assists and Ivica Zubac had another double-double (17 points, 15 rebounds) to go with four blocked shots for the Clippers, who are 5-4 after losing four of their first six games.
“We did a great job at the end of keeping pace into the game,” Wall said. “When we play with pace, we’re a tough team because we get out, get mismatches. We pass the ball to the right guy; they make the right reads and make plays. Try to make the game simple.”
The Clippers overcame a 10-point deficit in the third quarter, outscoring the Spurs 31-20 in the fourth. The Clippers shot 5 for 9 from 3-point range in the fourth and 12 for 19 from the field overall in the period.
George – who had 35 points (and the game-winning shot) and 28 points in a pair of wins against the Houston Rockets earlier in the week – finished 11 for 16 from the field (4 for 6 from 3-point range) and 6 for 7 from the free-throw line to go with five assists. The Clippers shot 15 for 33 (45.5%) from behind the arc and outrebounded the Spurs 44-35.
Reggie Jackson had 14 points and five assists, Norman Powell had 13 points and seven rebounds and Marcus Morris Sr. added 11 points and eight rebounds for the Clippers.
“We learned how we’ve got to try to close the game out,” San Antonio guard Devin Vassell said. “Playing together as a team. They were letting the ball find the open man. We’ve got to do that, too.”
Vassell had a career-high 29 points for the Spurs while playing limited minutes following a four-game absence due to a sore left knee. Vassell made his first eight shots, including three 3-pointers, and finished 4 for 5 from long range.
As expected, Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard missed his sixth consecutive game as he rehabilitates from offseason knee surgery.
Vassell and Keldon Johnson returned and helped San Antonio stay competitive after its worst home loss in franchise history, a 143-100 defeat against Toronto.
The Clippers had a 19-2 run in the opening quarter, but the Spurs rallied.
After trailing by 17 points, the Spurs closed the first half on an 8-0 run to take a 58-54 lead, capped by Zach Collins swatting away Powell’s 15-foot driving layup attempt at the buzzer. Collins opened the run with a 15-foot jumper followed by 3-pointers from Vassell and Johnson.
Tre Jones added 18 points for the Spurs and Johnson had 16.
The Clippers return home and host the Utah Jazz on Sunday night.
TIP-INS
Clippers: Coach Tyronn Lue said Leonard is frustrated but progressing as he recovers from surgery to repair a partial tear in his right ACL on July 13. … Forward Nicolas Batum suffered a bruise under his left eye after taking an elbow from Vassell on a driving layup. Batum was assessed a foul on the play with 1:18 left in the third quarter, which was upheld upon review. … Morris and Collins were each assessed a technical foul after they had to be separated late in the second quarter. Morris grabbed and yanked Collins around the neck on an attempted layup, but officials had already whistled the play dead because Collins traveled.
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Spurs: Vassell’s previous career high was 23 points against Indiana on Oct. 21. … Guard Romeo Langford missed the game after straining his left toe Wednesday against the Raptors. … Forward Isaiah Roby missed his third straight game with flulike symptoms.
CLIPPERS FINED
The NBA issued a $25,000 fine to the Clippers on Thursday for violations of the league’s policies regarding injury reporting.
The league found that the team did not disclose an accurate game availability status for guard Brandon Boston Jr. and forward Moussa Diabate prior to the team’s game against New Orleans on Sunday.
Boston and Diabate were listed as unavailable; both wound up playing against the Pelicans. Boston scored six points and Diabate logged four scoreless minutes in the Clippers’ 112-91 loss.