By ANTONIO GONZALEZ
Posted Apr 06 2012 2:03AM
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) Blake Griffin took a rare night off from dunking, and he still found a way to frustrate an opposing big man.
Griffin made three straight jumpers in the closing minutes to finish with 14 points and nine rebounds, overcoming a bruising battle with DeMarcus Cousins to lift the Los Angeles Clippers to a 93-85 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Thursday night.
"I thought that was a great football game tonight," Kings coach Keith Smart said. "It was two big guys playing and these guys are physical. It's going to be a great rivalry."
Maybe one day.
Two of the NBA's best budding big men exchanged several shoves, elbows and words - with Griffin doing his best to stay quiet against the hot-tempered Cousins - throughout until last season's NBA Rookie of the Year and slam-dunk champion took over late.
Griffin's last jumper with 2:18 remaining put the Clippers ahead by three, and they held on to rebound from a loss to the Lakers a night earlier that ended a six-game winning streak - the franchise's best in 20 years - and slowed momentum to overtake its crosstown rival in the Pacific Division.
"It wasn't me going at anybody. I don't want to get that started," said Griffin, who had Cousins in constant foul trouble. "That's something that will hopefully go away for him. When guys get frustrated, that's what happens."
Randy Foye scored 20 points and Chris Paul had 13 points and eight assists for Los Angeles, closing to two games back of the Lakers. The Clippers host Sacramento on Saturday night, and no doubt the attention will be back on the two big men.
While Griffin insisted he was moving on from the back-and-forth with Cousins, Sacramento's second-year center has other plans.
"That's what Blake is going to say because he's in L.A., where actors belong," said Cousins, held to eight points and three rebounds before fouling out in the final seconds. "And he's an actor."
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