Clippers 98, Grizzlies 91
Blake Griffin just missed a triple-double with 20 points, nine rebounds and eight assists as the Los Angeles Clippers held off the visiting Memphis Grizzles 98-91 on Thursday night.
Chris Paul and Mo Williams scored 18 points apiece and Caron Butler added 17 as the Clippers pulled away in the final minute to improve to 9-1 at home this season.
Rudy Gay scored a game-high 24 points and Marc Gasol had 16 points and 11 rebounds for Memphis, which lost its second straight following a seven-game winning streak.
The Clippers appeared on the way to a cakewalk after building a 16-point first-quarter lead and ripping off runs of 7-0, 9-0 and 11-0.
Gay turned the momentum when he ended the quarter by banking in a 3-pointer from beyond the halfcourt line to pull the Grizzlies within 29-17.
Gay then scored the first five points to trigger an 11-0 run to open the second quarter that pulled Memphis within a point and the game stayed nip-and-tuck the rest of the way.
Williams scored nine points in the first seven minutes of the final quarter as Los Angeles opened an 89-80 lead, only to see the Grizzlies cut the deficit to 91-89 with 1:19 left.
Butler finally halted the comeback, scoring on a baseline drive and burying two free throws to build the lead to eight points.