Grizzlies 91 - 98 Clippers
Final
  for this game

Clippers slip past Grizzlies

Jan 27, 2012 - 7:06 AM Los Angeles, CA (Sports Network) - Blake Griffin finished with 20 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, leading the Clippers to a 98-91 victory over the Grizzlies at Staples Center.

Chris Paul and Mo Williams each scored 18 points, while Caron Butler netted 16 to help Los Angeles rebounded from a loss to the rival Lakers on Wednesday.

Rudy Gay had 24 points to pace the Grizzlies, who made it competitive despite being down 16 points in the first quarter. Nonetheless, Memphis fell for the second straight game on the heels of a seven-game winning streak.

There were a combined 19 lead changes and 13 ties in the second and third frames, but none in the fourth.

Los Angeles brought a tenuous 74-72 lead into the final stanza and went ahead 89-80 on DeAndre Jordan's alley-oop dunk with 4:46 remaining.

The closest the Grizzlies got from there was two, 91-89, following two Gay free throws with 79 seconds on the clock.

Butler made it a two-possession game with a driving layup, then teamed with Paul to fore a Gay turnover at the other end.

The Clippers finished off the win at the foul line.

"We couldn't get any stops down the stretch," Memphis head coach Lionel Hollins said.

Memphis trailed by as many as 16 in the first quarter, but got a lift when Gay let one fly from between the opposite three-point line and center court.

The buzzer-beating heave somehow banked in to cut the deficit to 29-17, and the Grizzlies pulled closer by scoring the first 11 points of the second quarter, which ended with the Clippers holding a slim 45-44 edge.

"We have to do a better job of not giving up the lead," Griffin said.

Game Notes

Both teams celebrated the 45th anniversary of the American Basketball Association's (ABA) founding by wearing throwback uniforms. The Clippers wore the baby-blue outfit of the Los Angeles Stars, while the Grizzlies donned the eye-catching Memphis Tams' jersey and shorts...Marc Gasol logged 16 points, 11 rebounds and six assists for the Grizzlies, who got 14 points apiece from Tony Allen and O.J. Mayo...Paul also had seven rebounds and seven helpers.






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