Clippers 87, Grizzlies 86
CLIPPERS 87, GRIZZLIES 86: Chris Paul scored 24 points and hit the go-ahead jumper as Los Angeles rallied in the fourth quarter to take a 2-1 series lead over visiting Memphis.
Blake Griffin added 17 points and Randy Foye had 16 for the Clippers, who took control with a 13-1 spurt and barely held off a furious Grizzlies' comeback in the final seconds
While not as impressive as the stunning 27-point comeback in Game 1, Los Angeles held Memphis without a field goal for nearly seven minutes. The Clippers will host Game 4 on Monday night.
Rudy Gay scored 24 points, including a pair of 3-pointers in under a five-second span, to cut the deficit to 87-86 with 8.9 seconds to play.
Eric Bledsoe missed a pair of free throws with eight seconds left, giving Memphis a chance to win, but Gay's shot bounced off the rim.
Zach Randolph had 17 points for Memphis, which saw a 79-73 lead with 4:35 left disintegrate into an 86-80 deficit with 23 seconds remaining.
Los Angeles prevailed despite a wide disparity at the free throw line in Memphis' favor. The Grizzlies were 30 of 39 from the line compared to 13 of 30 for Los Angeles.
Gay had scored nine points in the third quarter as Memphis used an 11-0 burst to surge ahead and carry a 71-64 lead into the final period.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Clippers F Caron Butler was a surprise starter Saturday. He suffered a fractured left hand in Game 1 and was expected to miss four to six weeks. Butler saw a specialist Thursday and was told that aggravating the injury wouldn't cause him to be sidelined any longer. ... Memphis swingman Quincy Pondexter scored 11 points, all in the first half, for his highest output since March 13. ... Foye had scored a total of nine points in the first two games.