LOS ANGELES -- Chris Paul said a renewed commitment to defense has allowed the Los Angeles Clippers to hit a hot streak.

Paul had 25 points, seven assists and seven rebounds, leading the Los Angeles Clippers to a 97-83 victory over the short-handed Charlotte Hornets at Staples Center on Saturday.

Guard Jamal Crawford scored 19 points and guard J.J. Redick added 17 as the Clippers (24-13) captured their eighth straight victory and handed the Hornets their sixth consecutive defeat.

Center DeAndre Jordan grabbed 19 rebounds to go along with 11 points and four blocked shots for the Clippers.

Los Angeles is 7-0 without leading scorer Blake Griffin, who is out because of a partially torn quad tendon.

"I think we all had to step up by committee," said Paul, who converted 11-of-19 shots, including 3-of-5 3-pointers. "We are moving the ball and we are putting a huge emphasis on defense.

"The only way we can really score without the big fella (Griffin) is if we defend and get out in transition."

Added Redick: "We've really embraced the defensive side of the basketball, and really before Blake got hurt we had done that."

Guard Jeremy Lin scored 26 points to pace the struggling Hornets (17-19), who have lost seven road games in a row, and guard Jeremy Lamb came off the bench to collect 18 points and 13 rebounds.

"We just couldn't get over that hump," said Lamb, who hit 8-of-14 shots, including 2-of-4 3-pointers. "We would cut it to six, then (we) would go back down to 10. It's definitely frustrating."

Charlotte was without forward Nicolas Batum, who is ailing with a toe injury, for the fourth consecutive game. The Hornets already were without center Al Jefferson (right knee surgery) and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (right shoulder surgery)

Despite the injuries and losses piling up, Lamb isn't discouraged.

"We got to keep working," Lamb said. "Everybody on the team is hard workers. We got to keep doing that. Got to keep working. Hard work pays off. It'll turn around."

It was the second loss by the Hornets to the Clippers in the last 10 days. They dropped a 122-117 decision on Dec. 30.

"We had a lot better ball movement and our defense was a lot better," Charlotte coach Steve Clifford said. "We started the game a little bit slowly, but I thought our second quarter play defensively and in moving the ball was terrific."

Los Angeles had a tough time shaking the Hornets, who came back from several double-figure deficits, until late in the game.

Crawford's 3-pointer with 3:03 remaining allowed the Clippers to take a 91-79 cushion and that was too much for Charlotte to overcome.

"We knew we had to come out aggressive in the third," said Paul, who scored 14 points in the first half. "Paul (Pierce) was talking in the locker room saying, 'Let's come out and jump on them, and get up by 10 going into the fourth quarter.'

"It has been nice having Paul in the locker room. I do no have to talk as much."

The Clippers, who led by as many as 11 points in the first half, held a 35-28 advantage after a bucket by reserve center Cole Aldrich with 7:46 left in the second quarter.

However, an 18-8 run by the Hornets to close the half, capped by a 3-pointer from Lamb, boosted them to a 46-43 lead at intermission.

Lamb had 12 points on 5-of-5 shooting and seven rebounds in the second quarter as the Hornets outscored the Clippers 28-16.

In the third, the Clippers opened the quarter by pushing the lead to double digits again, going up 68-57 after two free throws by guard Austin Rivers.

But Charlotte closed the gap to 70-64 by the end of the quarter when center Spencer Hawes scored inside.

Hawes was playing against the Clippers in Los Angeles for the first time since they traded him during the off-season to the Hornets for guard Lance Stevenson.

NOTES: Clippers F Blake Griffin, who hasn't played since sustaining a partially torn quad tendon in a Dec. 25 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers, could miss another two weeks. ... Hornets G Kemba Walker averaged 27.3 points per game in the previous six contests, but finished with 11 points on 4-of-16 shooting Saturday. ... Los Angeles continued to lead the NBA in technical fouls with 21, four more than the Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder entering the game. Clippers C DeAndre Jordan and Griffin were tied for second among players with seven apiece, one behind Toronto Raptors PG Kyle Lowry, who had eight. ... Both teams resume play Sunday. The Hornets cap their four-game trip at the Denver Nuggets, while the Clippers host the New Orleans Pelicans.