The bench stepped up big time for the Los Angeles Clippers as they got one over the Atlanta Hawks 89-76 on Sunday. Jamal Crawford scored 11 points; Eric Bledsoe added 12 points and Matt Barnes contributed 10 points for the Clippers to lead them to their third straight win.
Two-time All-Star Blake Griffin was the leading scorer for the Clippers with 16 points. He the appreciated contribution of the reserves, who outscored the Hawks 35-32.
"It is unbelievable how they come into games and put the pressure on teams and increase the lead," Griffin said. "A lot of these guys could be starting on any team in the NBA.
"I don't like to call them the second team because there is not much of a drop-off when they come into the game. We are all on the same level, we are all one team."
Chris Paul added 15 points and eight assists and Caron Butler scored 13 points. Paul also accepted the bench had played a key role in the stunning victory of the Hawks.
"It's fun to watch, and it's exciting for our team," The Associated Press quoted Paul as saying. "We really feed off their energy, and it's a huge advantage for us.
"Guys like Matt Barnes, Ryan Hollins and Ronny Turiaf, they know who they are in this league. And that's the key to everything. They're not going to try to do anything outside of themselves or be something they're not. And that's why we have confidence in them."
Crawford, who won NBA's 2010 Sixth Man of the Year award, appreciated his bench's outstanding contribution.
"There's a lot of confidence from our coaching staff and our starters," Crawford said. "We believe in our bench. We think our bench is better than a lot of starting units. When we go out there, we try to do a job collectively. Everyone understands their role and we just try to be successful."
For the Hawks, Josh Smith scored 13 points, Al Horford contributed with 11 points and Lou Williams added 11 points.
"I think we got a little careless with the basketball," said Smith, who had a team-high five turnovers. "Whenever you give a home team momentum plays like that, it's kind of hard to give yourself the opportunity to win in the fourth quarter."
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