Blake Griffin, Clippers blow out Cavaliers with ball movement in 113-94 win

Los Angeles Clippers — Dec 1, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; LA Clippers forward Blake Griffin (32) drives between Cleveland Cavaliers forward Channing Frye (8) and forward LeBron James (23) in the third quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. USA TODAY Sports / David Richard

Cleveland Cavaliers, the defending NBA champions, suffered their second consecutive defeat Thursday during a 113-94 blowout loss to the Los Angeles Clippers at the Quicken Loans Arena.

After leading the Cavs 58-50 at the halftime break, the Clippers landed a major knockout blow during the third quarter, outscoring Cleveland 27-15 before holding onto the lead during the final period.

The Clippers' superstar duo of Chris Paul and Blake Griffin amounted to only 29 points combined. But that didn't matter as Los Angeles moved the ball beautifully and registered 33 assists on the night -- as compared to only 12 for LeBron James & Co. |See Final Box Score on ESPN|

Blake Griffin, the playmaker

Griffin (13 points, 11 assists, 5 rebounds) and Paul (16 points, 9 assists, 6 rebounds) combined for a total of 20 assists and set up sharpshooter J.J. Redick who led all scorers with 23 points from just 13 shots. Redick knocked down 4/6 shots from deep as the Clippers shot an impressive 42 percent from three as a team.

Jamal Crawford and Austin Rivers added a dozen points each from the bench as the Clippers second unit comfortably out-scored the Cavs' bench by a margin of 46-28.

For the Cavaliers, there was very little ball movement during an off-night for LeBron James -- who finished with a season-low tally of 16 points, 5 assists, 5 rebounds and 5 turnovers. James struggled to get into rhythm for most of the night as Clippers centre DeAndre Jordan protected the rim with precision. James also made only six of his 11 free throws while making 5/14 field goals.

Kyrie Irving was the Cavs' lone bright spot, finishing with 28 points from just 19 shots, making 11 out of 12 shots from the foul line. However, Irving had just two assists on the night -- a worrisome stat for a point guard. Kevin Love finished with 16 points and 4 rebounds but was on the court for only 25 minutes.

Chris Paul and the Clippers will next travel to New Orleans to face the Pelicans on Friday. It would conclude their six-game road trip. Meanwhile, the Cavaliers would travel to Chicago to face the Bulls on the same night to begin their three-game road trip.