With floor general Chris Paul nowhere in sight, the Los Angeles Clippers turned to Chauncey Billups for his veteran leadership. And they got exactly what coach Vinny Del Negro was hoping for when the team obtained the 35-year-old point guard in a waiver auction from the New York Knicks in December. Billups scored nine of his 20 points in the final 4:23 after the Clippers blew an 18-point lead, Blake Griffin had 23 points and 14 rebounds, and Los Angeles held off the New Jersey Nets 101-91 on Monday while Paul sat out with a strained left hamstring.
