Pistons 83 - 87 Clippers
Final - OT
  for this game

Paul lifts Clippers past Pistons

Mar 18, 2012 - 11:35 PM Los Angeles, CA (Sports Network) - Chris Paul scored nine of his 19 points in overtime Sunday, including the go-ahead jumper, and the Los Angeles Clippers ended a six-game homestand with an 87-83 win over the Detroit Pistons.

Blake Griffin had a game-tying tip-in with 19.2 seconds left in regulation and finished with 17 points for the Clippers.

Paul, who had a season-high 15 assists, knocked down a jumper from the right elbow as he fell backwards with 22.1 ticks remaining in overtime for the go- ahead basket and later sealed the win with free throws.

The Pistons, who scored just nine points in the fourth quarter, used a 6-0 run in overtime to take the lead before Paul snatched it back. Greg Monroe had six of their nine points in OT and finished with 23 and 15 rebounds.

Tayshaun Prince added 20 points for Detroit, but had the ball stolen by Paul as he dribbled for a final shot in regulation.

"We got to the moment of truth and now we have to learn how to finish," said Pistons coach Lawrence Frank. "We'll figure it out and we'll get better."

The Clippers went 3-3 on their homestand and have won back-to-back games for the first time since Feb. 15 and 16.

They have won four of the last five meetings with the Pistons after losing 13 in a row between 2003-09.

"They beat us on the boards, but we were able to control things when we needed to," said Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro after his team was outrebounded 47-40. "We were able to open up the floor for Chris. We had guys stepping up today and found a way. A solid win for us."

The Pistons fell to 1-3 on a five-game road trip. They caught a break with 41.3 seconds left in regulation when Caron Butler couldn't corral a jump ball that was tipped to him and went out of bounds, but Prince missed a jumper at the other end.

That set up Griffin's game-tying tip-in, which came after Paul drove the lane on the right side but was too hard on a layup that hit off the backboard, then the front rim before his teammate tapped it in.

Prince drove left against Butler, but Paul snuck his hand in and knocked the ball loose as the final seconds ticked off and the Pistons ended regulation without a final attempt.

In OT, the Clippers had an 81-76 lead on Paul's long three-pointer, but Monroe scored the final four points of Detroit's 6-0 burst for a one-point lead with 31.8 seconds left.

After Paul hit his jumper for the lead, the teams scrambled for Monroe's miss at the other end, resulting in a jump ball. It was won by Monroe, but he tipped it to Paul in the backcourt, and the Clippers guard found Randy Foye for a layin and an 85-82 lead with 7.0 seconds left.

The Clippers held on and improved to 4-1 in overtime this season.

"We like close games for some reason," said Paul. "We showed enough poise to pull this one out."

Earlier, the Clippers led 24-18 after the first quarter, but Detroit was up 41-38 at halftime and 65-57 going into the fourth.

Game Notes

Detroit's road trip ends Wednesday in Denver...Nick Young, who was acquired by the Clippers from Washington before the trade deadline, played 28 1/2 minutes and scored nine points in the win. Foye added 14 points for LA.






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