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OKLAHOMA CITY -- After four straight blowout victories, the Los Angeles Clippers learned they can handle business in a close game.Blake Griffin scored 25 points, and the Clippers beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 110-108 on Friday night to improve the leagues top record and the best start in franchise history to 8-1.Oklahoma Citys Russell Westbrook missed what would have been a game-winning 3-pointer in the closing seconds.The Clippers had won their previous four games by an average of 24.5 points, so coach Doc Rivers wasnt sure how his team would handle a game with a tight finish. Los Angeles focused on slowing Westbrook, who burned them for 35 points in Oklahoma Citys 85-83 win in Los Angeles earlier in the month that gave the Clippers their only loss so far.Even though Andre Roberson and Domantas Sabonis found their shooting strokes as the Thunder made 16 of 28 3-pointers, the Clippers stuck to their defensive game plan.This is one of those games you can lose your trust in, Rivers said. Roberson was making 3s, Sabonis was making 3s, and were telling our guys to stay and clog the paint. And theyre looking at me like, `Why? We did it, and it worked out for us.Jamal Crawford scored 19 points and Chris Paul added 17 points and 10 assists for the Clippers.Westbrook had 29 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists, but he made just 9 of 25 shots. Victor Oladipo scored 18 points, Enes Kanter had 13 points and 11 rebounds and Roberson added 13 points and nine rebounds for Oklahoma City (6-3).The game was tied at 50 at halftime. The Clippers went on an 8-1 run early in the third quarter, highlighted by a spinning layup and 3-pointer by J.J. Redick, to go up 65-56. Griffin had 15 points on 7-for-8 shooting in the period to help the Clippers take an 82-74 lead in the fourth.I think our offense, spacing-wise, was really good, Griffin said. We attacked more, got out in transition, got some rebounds. Defensive stops led to some easy buckets.Westbrook tied the game at 102 with a 3-pointer with just over 2 minutes remaining, but the Clippers responded with a dunk by DeAndre Jordan and a 3-pointer by Crawford.The Thunder rallied again, but Westbrooks 28-footer was just off in the final seconds.Yeah, I probably should have drove it, but it was all right, Westbrook said.---TIP-INSClippers: Committed just five turnovers in each half. ... Jordan had 12 points and 13 rebounds. ... Jordan was called for a technical foul early in the third quarter.Thunder: Held the Clippers to 22.7 percent shooting in the first quarter to take a 24-16 lead. ... Oladipo scored 11 points in the first quarter. ... Westbrook was called for a technical after he disagreed with a foul call early in the third period. ... Roberson set a new career high with three 3-point goals. ... Sabonis made 4 of 5 3-pointers.HAPPY HOMECOMINGGriffin, an Oklahoma City native, has been booed in the past because hes been a thorn in the Thunders side. Now, with Kevin Durant gone, the fans have dreams of landing him in free agency. They showered Griffin with cheers during pregame introductions, which surprised him.A little bit, but its always nice to come back home, he said.QUOTABLEPaul, on how he guarded Westbrook: I did a lot differently tonight guarding Russ, he said. I didnt. It was Luc Mbah a Moute. That was the difference. I only guarded him a few times tonight.UP NEXTThe Clippers play at the Minnesota Timberwolves.The Thunder host the Orlando Magic and former teammate Serge Ibaka.---Follow Cliff Brunt on Twitter (at)CliffBruntAP. Cheap NFL Jerseys China . 1 position. The Mustangs (6-0), who beat Queens 50-31 last weekend, earned 17 first-place votes and 287 points in voting by the Football Reporters of Canada. Western was last ranked first in the country in October 2011. Wholesale Stitched Jerseys . -- Josh Sterk scored once and set up two more as the Oshawa Generals edged the visiting Belleville Bulls 3-2 on Friday in Ontario Hockey League action. https://www.wholesalejerseys2020.com/ . Tests earlier this week revealed a Grade 2 left hamstring strain for Sabathia, who was hurt in last Fridays start against San Francisco. Its an injury that will require about eight weeks to heal. He finished a disappointing campaign just 14-13 with a career-worst 4. Cheap Jerseys From China . -- Stanfords Kevin Danser knelt on one knee and hardly moved on the sideline as Michigan State celebrated its Rose Bowl victory and his Cardinal teammates made their way to the locker room. Cheap Jerseys 2020 .com) - The game was all punts and field goals before Kodi Whitfields catch. HOOVER, Ala. -- The Vanderbilt Commodores took a small step forward overall last season and a bigger one defensively.Sure, they lost four games by single-digit margins and improved on defense with coach Derek Mason pulling double duty as coordinator. But they still went 4-8, just one win better than in Masons debut season.This football team knows how to compete. Okay? Mason said Monday at Southeastern Conference media days. Its not about competing anymore, its about winning. We had the great fortune to win one more game. For some in here, thats not monumental enough. Thats OK. For us, we saw how we let some games slide. We missed some opportunities, OK, and that has not gone unnoticed by this football team.The Commodores dont want that to be considered normal for a program that had back-to-back 9-4 seasons before coach James Franklin left for Penn State.Theyve got some talent, like All-SEC linebacker Zach Cunningham and workhorse running back Ralph Webb. And Kyle Shurmur has already been anointed the starting quarterback going into his sophomore season.Vandy finished in the top half of the league in the four major defensive ccategories after ranking last in points allowed per game.ddddddddddddason has gone 7-17 in his first two seasons but has 16 returning starters and more than 40 upperclassmen coming back. He also has six new assistants in a second straight year of high staff turnover.Cunningham said the team has a more together mind-set than we had last season.Mason likes the Commodores attitude as well.This teams got a team-first mentality, has established a team-first mantra, he said. We dont care about who is standing on the hill. We dont care about who takes the accolades. Its about this team collectively and what we need to do in order to move the needle and get up the hill.Vanderbilt gets a chance before most teams even take the field to give some evidence if theyve made real strides. They open Sept. 1 with a Thursday night game against South Carolina.I dont think its a measuring stick game but its definitely a game thats going to prove not only to the fans but to everyone else what we can do, Cunningham said. ' ' '