Minus Griffin, Clippers beat short-handed Jazz 109-104

By foxsports
Published

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) Playing without an injured Blake Griffin, J.J. Redick scored 25 points and Paul Pierce had 20 to lead the Los Angeles Clippers over the Utah Jaz 109-104 Saturday night.

The Clippers learned before the game Griffin, their leading scorer, had a partially torn left quadriceps tendon and is expected to miss at least two weeks.

Chris Paul scored 19 points and DeAndre Jordan added 14 points and 13 rebounds for the Clippers (18-13), who won their second straight game after losing three in a row. Los Angeles shot 50 percent (13 of 26) from 3-point range.

Gordon Hayward scored 28 points and guard Rodney Hood added 15 points to lead Utah. It wasn't enough to prevent the Jazz (12-16) from a second straight loss.

Raul Neto gave the Jazz an early spark in the first quarter. Neto scored back-to-back baskets to fuel a 9-0 spurt that helped Utah jump out to a 12-4 lead. The Jazz built a 10 point lead three times during the quarter, the final time when Jeff Withey made a jumper to put Utah up 26-16.

Paul briefly tied it at 53 with a jumper early in the third quarter. Rodney Hood made a jumper and then Neto turned a steal into a layup to put Utah back in front. The Clippers finally charged ahead 72-64 later in the quarter when Redick buried three consecutive 3-pointers to cap off a 14-0 run for Los Angeles.

Utah cut the lead back to two at 79-77 when Trey Burke and Ingles each drained 3-pointers to fuel a 7-0 run to close out the third quarter.

Hood made a 3-pointer to put the Jazz back ahead 88-85 with 5:26 left in the fourth. The Clippers retook the lead for good on a floater from Paul with 2:47 remaining. Redick and Pierce made sure Utah couldn't come back when they combined for three 3-pointers over a minute to put Los Angeles up 105-100 with 29 seconds left.

TIP INS

Clippers: Pierce started in the second half after coming off the bench in the first half. The move proved effective. Pierce scored 11 points in the third quarter after totaling just six before halftime. . Los Angeles has now won 14 times in its last 16 games against the Jazz. The Clippers are 1-1 this season.

Jazz: Forward Derrick Favors did not play because of back spasms. It is the first game Favors has missed because of an injury this season. . Guard Alec Burks left the game late in the second quarter after landing on his surgically repaired shoulder and hitting his head following a hard foul from Pierce. Burks did not return in the second half.

UP NEXT

Clippers: play the Wizards in Washington, D.C., on Monday.

Jazz: face the 76ers in Salt Lake City on Monday.