Clippers 109, Jazz 104
SALT LAKE CITY -- J.J. Redick scored 25 points and Paul Pierce added 20 points to lead the Los Angeles Clippers to a 109-104 victory over the Utah Jazz on Saturday night.
Guard Chris Paul scored 19 points and center DeAndre Jordan had 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.
Forward 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 suffering a second straight loss.
Guard Raul Neto had back-to-back baskets to fuel a 9-0 spurt that put the Jazz up 12-4 early in the first quarter. Utah pushed that margin to 10 points three times during the quarter, the final time on a jumper from center Jeff Withey that gave the Jazz a 26-16 lead.
The Clippers chipped away during the second quarter. Los Angeles cut the deficit to four points, making it 36-32 on three free throws from guard Jamal Crawford.
The Clippers trimmed the lead to four three more times in the quarter on a dunk and a layup from Jordan and two free throws from Paul that made it 51-47 with 1:04 remaining before halftime.
Paul briefly tied it at 53 with a jumper early in the third quarter. 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 punctuate an 14-0 run for Los Angeles.
The Jazz rallied before the end of the quarter. Guards Trey Burke and Joe Ingles each made 3-pointers to help Utah close the quarter on a 7-0 run and cut the Clippers' lead to 79-77.
Hood drained a 3-pointer to put the Jazz back ahead 88-85 with 5:26 left in the fourth quarter. The Clippers retook the lead for good on a floater from Paul with 2:47 remaining.
Redick and Pierce made sure Utah wouldn't come back when they combined for three 3-pointers in a minute to put Los Angeles up 105-100 with 29 seconds left.
NOTES: Clippers F Blake Griffin did not travel with the team after suffering a partially torn left quadriceps tendon against the Los Angeles Lakers on Christmas Day. Griffin is expected to be sidelined for at least two weeks He is averaging a team-high 23.2 points per game along with 8.7 rebounds and 5.0 assists per contest. ... Jazz PF Derrick Favors did not play, sitting out with back spasms. Favors has averaged 16.8 points and 8.6 rebounds in 26 games this season. ... The Clippers had won 13 of their last 15 games with the Jazz coming into Saturday night. It is the most successful 15-game stretch against Utah in franchise history. ... Utah Jazz coach Quin Snyder had his first NBA coaching gig with Los Angeles. Snyder was an assistant with the Clippers during the 1992-93 season.