The Milwaukee Bucks, clinging to a one point lead in the final seconds, forced a miss in the lane from Blake Griffin and pulled out a 97-96 win over the Los Angeles Clippers at the Staples Center on Wednesday night.
The Bucks (33-34) improved to 1-1 on their six-game road trip and moved into seventh place in the Eastern Conference race, a half-game in front of the eighth place Detroit Pistons. They also swept the season series against the Clippers, the first time they’ve accomplished that since the 1999-2000 season.
The Bucks also ended a string of eight straight defeats to the Clippers in L.A., winning there for the first time since 2007.
Six Bucks scored in double figures, led by Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton with 16 points. Greg Monroe and Matthew Dellavedova had 12 each. Malcolm Brogdon and Mirza Teletovic each had 11 points.
DeAndre Jordan had 22 points and 17 rebounds to lead the Clippers (40-28). Griffin added 18 while Chris Paul was held to six points and seven assists in 36 minutes.
The Bucks return to action Friday night against the Lakers, back at the Staples Center.