The defending NBA champions the San Antonio Spurs suffered defeat in their first game of this season's playoffs by going down 107-92 at the Los Angeles Clippers.
The two sides were embroiled in a furious battle for home-court advantage in the closing weeks of the regular season, with San Antonio's defeat on the final night to the New Orleans Pelicans seeing them drop from second to sixth in the standings.
That left them with a difficult first-round matchup against the Clippers, who opened up a 1-0 series lead at Staples Center.
The Clippers' All-Star duo of Chris Paul (32 points, seven rebounds, six assists) and Blake Griffin (26 points, 12 rebounds) stood out for the hosts.
LA were up by 12 after one quarter, but San Antonio rallied soon after and led briefly in the second quarter before the Clippers resumed control and eased to victory.
Game two takes place again at Staples Center on Wednesday night.
Pascal Lemesre
