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Paul helps Clippers cruise by Grizzlies

Dec 6, 2013 - 5:43 AM Memphis, TN (SportsNetwork.com) - Chris Paul finished with 15 points and eight assists and the Los Angeles Clippers used a balanced scoring attack to down the familiar Memphis Grizzlies, 101-81, on Thursday.

Jamal Crawford and Darren Collison added 15 points apiece off the bench for the Clippers, who outscored the Grizzlies in the second half by a healthy 61-39 margin to win going away.

DeAndre Jordan posted 10 points and 14 rebounds while Blake Griffin chipped in with 14 points, nine boards and five assists as Los Angeles snapped a two-game skid and helped Doc Rivers earn his 600th career victory as a coach.

"We were getting frustrated (in the first half)," Rivers said. "When we started making shots the game broke our way."

Zach Randolph returned to Memphis' lineup after missing two games with a toe injury and recorded a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds but was limited to 4-of-13 shooting.

Kosta Koufos totaled 17 points and nine rebounds while Mike Conley netted 16 points for the Grizzlies, who fell to 1-2 on their six-game homestand.

The largest lead for either team in the first half was eight, and Koufos' three-point play just before the break gave Memphis a slim 42-40 lead.

The Clippers took control with a 17-2 run over a six-minute stretch in the third. Paul and Jared Dudley each hit from long range during the surge and Crawford put in a deep jumper for a 61-49 cushion with under two minutes remaining in the frame.

"When they started hitting shots, I think we just dropped our heads," Randolph admitted.

Memphis shot just 3-for-17 from the field in an 11-point showing in the third.

Six straight points by Koufos brought the Grizzlies within 64-57 early in the fourth, but a jumper by Collison and two more from Crawford pushed the margin back to double digits.

Another runner from Collison with 7:05 to play made it a 20-point game, and Los Angeles cruised from there.

Game Notes

Rivers became the 23rd coach to reach the 600-win plateau ... Memphis shot just 38 percent from the field and 3-of-13 from three-point range ... This was the 22nd time these teams have played each other since Jan. 26, 2012, a stretch that includes 13 first-round playoff games ... Los Angeles continues its seven-game road trip in Cleveland on Saturday.