Clippers handle Kawhi-less Spurs for nice start to post-break sked

The Los Angeles Clippers were one of the few teams to make a move for immediate improvement before Thursday's trade deadline, but they didn't appear to need many reinforcements in their first game after the All-Star break. Facing a San Antonio Spurs squad riding a six-game winning streak but playing without MVP candidate Kawhi Leonard, the Clippers rode stingy early defense and a fantastic second half from Chris Paul to a comfortable 105-86 win at Staples Center.

The game was atypical enough not to serve as a statement to the rest of the league, but it will still act as a strong start to the final two months for a Clippers team looking to reclaim some stability in the wake of Blake Griffin's controversial injuries and accompanying trade rumors.

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A rough first half for both offenses suggested a break-induced hangover for both squads. The Clippers and Spurs combined for all of 18 points through the first 9:20 and just 76 in the entire first half as the hosts built a 42-34 lead. The defenses looked good enough, but it's safe to say that the offenses were not at their best.

The contest got significantly more watchable in the second half thanks in large part to a dominant turn from Chris Paul. The All-Star point guard scored 26 of his 28 after the break and chipped in 12 assists on the night. This assist for a DeAndre Jordan alley-oop on Danny Green stands out as the biggest highlight:

It's hard to undersell how much Paul meant to the Clips on Thursday, but it's telling that he scored or assist on 26 of their 30 points from the end of the third into late garbage time in the fourth. He did enough that head coach Doc Rivers thinks it's something of a problem:

On the other side, the Spurs can shrug off the loss in part due to the absence of the essential Leonard. The first-time All-Star starter missed the contest with left calf tightness that will likely keep him out of Friday's game against the Los Angeles Lakers (as reported by TNT's Stacey Dales). Fill-in starter Kyle Anderson showed signs of quality throughout, including a six-point stretch early in the fourth as the Spurs kept the margin at single digits, but he's very clearly not Leonard. With Danny Green (2-of-9 FG) and Tim Duncan (1-of-6 FG) struggling, the Spurs had few scoring options to keep pace with the Clippers and no elite defensive stopper to contain Paul.

Again, this result will not mean much in the long term given its peculiarities, but the Clippers have reasons to feel good about themselves as they welcome new addition Jeff Green to the locker room ahead of Saturday night's home tilt against the Golden State Warriors. There are certainly worse ways to head into a matchup with the best team in the league.

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Eric Freeman is a writer for Ball Don't Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at efreeman_ysports@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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