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Clippers hold off Kings

Dec 28, 2010 - 7:49 AM Sacramento, CA (Sports Network) - Eric Gordon scored 31 points, Blake Griffin added 24 points and 14 rebounds, and the Los Angeles Clippers escaped ARCO Arena with a 100-99 victory over the Kings despite a late lapse in judgement by Ryan Gomes.

The Clippers were holding a 100-97 lead following Griffin's fastbreak dunk with 5.1 seconds left in regulation. A timeout moved the ball past midcourt, and the Kings put it in the hands of Tyreke Evans.

Gomes was closely guarding the reigning Rookie of the Year and was whistled for a foul outside the three-point line. The referees awarded Evans three free throws with 1.9 ticks remaining, and the first two went down.

The third, however, rattled off the rim. DeMarcus Cousins nearly tipped in the miss, and Evans had a second try just before the buzzer, but his rushed attempt from just inside the foul line rimmed out to seal the crushing defeat.

"On the last play, shot the last free throw shot and it felt good, but it rolled in and out," Evans said. "DeMarcus had a chance to put it back in, but it looked like he got grabbed. I had a chance to put it back in, but it didn't fall. It's a tough one."

Three of the Clippers' 10 wins this season have come against the Kings, who have dropped eight straight and fell to an NBA-worst 5-23.

Evans ended with a game-high 32 points, including five straight during a late 8-0 run that brought Sacramento within 96-95 with 1:23 to play.

Gordon followed with a reverse layup, and Carl Landry countered with two free throws with 51.8 seconds left to make it a one-point game again.

After an unsuccessful Clippers possession, Evans drove for the go-ahead score but was stripped by Baron Davis, leading to Griffin's dunk that preceded the frantic finish.

The Clippers shot 64 percent from the field in the first half and led 28-21 after 12 minutes and 58-49 at the break.

They slowed down in the third quarter, allowing the Kings to take a brief lead, 73-71, after Francisco Garcia capped an 8-0 spurt with a three-pointer.

"He's been doing that all season long," Griffin said of Gordon. "He keeps pressure on teams. The way he can score is unbelievable. So it's huge for us."

Game Notes

The Clippers, who have won five of six overall, had dropped five straight at ARCO Arena...Gordon made 6-of-7 attempts from three-point range...Griffin has 19 straight double-doubles...Davis chipped in 11 points and nine assists for LA...Omri Casspi and Beno Udrih netted 16 and 14 points, respectively, for the Kings, who shot 13-of-26 from three-point range...The Clippers won the battle on the glass, 48-34.