Team battles hard without top player Paul

--With under eight minutes to play Wednesday night in New York, the Clippers could have quit.

They were down 18 points to the Knicks with their best player, Chris Paul, on the bench, out with an injury.

But against the Knicks' second unit, the Clippers stormed back into the game, getting to within one point before eventually falling by six.

"We competed. We got down, but the guys battled back," Clippers head coach Vinny Del Negro said. "We got it to a one-possession game. We changed up some things, kept playing, which was great, and gave ourselves a chance."

The Clippers were hurt by poor free throw shooting, though. The team made only 14-of-25 from the line in the loss.

--The Clippers can still have home-court advantage in the first round if Memphis loses Thursday. The Grizzlies, the Clippers' first-round opponent, host Orlando.

QUOTE TO NOTE
"You miss a guy like CP." -- Clippers forward Blake Griffin on playing without Chris Paul. The Clippers lost 99-93 to the Knicks Wednesday.

Copyright (C) 2012 The Sports Xchange. All Rights Reserved.