Spurs vs. Clippers: Game 1 Score and Twitter Reaction from 2015 NBA Playoffs

The Los Angeles Clippers picked up an impressive 107-92 victory over the San Antonio Spurs in Game 1 of their first-round NBA playoff series Sunday night in the Staples Center.

Chris Paul and Blake Griffin both put up great performances. Paul had 32 points, seven rebounds and six assists, while Griffin dropped a double-double (26 points and 12 rebounds). DeAndre Jordan was big on the defensive end, chipping in four blocks and 14 rebounds.

SB Nation's Mike Prada made the point that an effort like that every night would have easily put Jordan in line for the Defensive Player of the Year Award:

As a team, Los Angeles shot an impressive 40-of-78 from the field, including 10-of-18 from behind the arc.

In contrast, the Spurs never found an offensive groove, making only 36.6 percent of their field-goal attempts. They also missed 23 of their 33 shots from three-point range.

Kawhi Leonard played well, scoring 18 points with six rebounds, three assists and four steals. But Tim Duncan and Tony Parker combined for only 21 points on 8-of-21 shooting.

Despite the Clippers finishing with a slightly better regular-season record than the Spurs and owning home-court advantage in this series, San Antonio was considered by many to be the favorite. The Spurs become a different team in the postseason, and they look to have at least one more deep run left in their veteran core.

"There's not a lot of series that I've been a part of where we have been picked to win in my entire career," Griffin said before the game, per ESPNLosAngeles.com's Arash Markazi. "As far as motivation, that's just how it is. That's how it's been. That's fine."

Even though this was only Game 1, you could sense the combination of nerves and excitement among the players. Early on, every possession seemed to have an added sense of urgency, and both teams were determined to score as quickly as possible.

The faster pace favored the Clippers, as they nailed four of their first six three-point attempts, compared to 0-of-6 for San Antonio. ESPN's J.A. Adande felt that Los Angeles was the better team in the first quarter on balance of play:

The end of the first quarter was the best thing that could've happened for the Spurs. It allowed the players to regroup and calm down a bit, while head coach Gregg Popovich identified what needed to change for the second frame.

San Antonio began the second quarter on a 10-0 run to climb to within two points, 30-28, of Los Angeles. The run came not so coincidentally after Clippers coach Doc Rivers rotated his bench into the game.

Los Angeles' biggest weakness is its lack of depth, and that flaw was exposed in a big way as the Spurs got back into the game. CBS Sports' Matt Moore attempted to present a visual parallel for the difference in the Clippers' two units:

NBC Sports' Kurt Helin added that the quicker pace helped Los Angeles early on, but it might cause more harm than good over the course of the game:

Although Paul ran into foul trouble in the second quarter, Griffin and Jordan remained on the floor, which helped the Clippers stem the tide and maintain their lead. Jordan, in particular, wreaked havoc defensively in the paint. He had three blocks in the first half, none bigger than his denial on a layup attempt from Manu Ginobili:

As good as Jordan was on the defensive end, though, his free-throw troubles again came to the fore when Popovich deployed the "hack-a-Jordan" strategy late in the second quarter. The Clippers big man attempted 12 shots from the charity stripe during the game, making five.

The Spurs prevented Los Angeles from having any real offensive possessions in the final stretch of the second quarter, but the Clippers held the same six-point lead they owned before the persistent fouling began. The home side took a 49-43 advantage into the locker room.

According to NBA.com, the Clippers finished first in the league in offensive rating (109.8) and second in both effective field-goal percentage (53.3) and true shooting percentage (56.5). When Los Angeles is in a groove offensively, it can be deadly on that end of the court.

The Spurs—specifically center Aron Baynes—learned that the hard way. The Clippers outscored San Antonio 30-21 in the third quarter, and two plays—both courtesy of Griffin—emphasized the swing in momentum.

The first came with four minutes left in the third. Paul found Griffin with a great pass, and Griffin threw down a thunderous jam right over a leaping Baynes, per NBA on TNT:

Then, just three minutes later, Griffin victimized Baynes again:

ESPN's Tom Haberstroh would've understood if Baynes wanted to just go ahead and give up for good at that point:

The Clippers were up by as many as 18 points in the third quarter, and they led 79-64 heading into the fourth quarter.

The Spurs attempted to mount a comeback, but they could only close the gap to nine points before Los Angeles knocked San Antonio out for good.

As well as the Clippers played, you still get the sense that the Spurs' best basketball is ahead, and this series is far from over. Popovich and Rivers, two of the best in the game, will make their moves and countermoves as they attempt to outwit one another.

San Antonio's veterans will be pushed extremely hard, while Los Angeles' depth and reliance on Paul and Griffin will be tested in a big way.

Game 2 is scheduled for 10:30 p.m. ET Wednesday night. While San Antonio isn't necessarily in a must-win situation, the Spurs can ill afford to fall two games behind Los Angeles.