Clippers 96, Trail Blazers 94
LOS ANGELES -- JJ Redick hit a jump shot as time expired, and the Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 96-94 Thursday at Staples Center.
Redick came around a pick and took a pass from Chris Paul for the game-winning shot. Crawford hit a 3-point shot to tie with 11 seconds remaining in regulation after Portland's Damian Lillard sank a 3-pointer with 23.9 seconds remaining.
Paul and Jamal Crawford scored 25 points apiece for Los Angeles, which broke a three-game losing streak. Redick finished with 11 points, and DeAndre Jordan added 12 points and 13 rebounds.
Lillard scored 18 points and handed out eight assists for Portland, and CJ McCollum added 17 points. Ed Davis contributed 12 points and eight rebounds, while Mason Plumlee chipped in with 11 points and six rebounds.
Los Angeles shot 45.1 percent from the field (37-for-82) while Portland shot 40 percent (32-for-80). The Blazers only shot 25 percent from 3-point range (6-for-24), the Clippers 21.1 percent (4-for-19).
In the third quarter, Portland (37-36) took advantage of cold Los Angeles shooting and foul trouble to draw even at 50 with 7:42 remaining. The Clippers regained a six-point lead, but the Blazers tied the game at 65 with a six-point run that was capped when Allen Crabbe hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
The Clippers (44-27) used a 14-4 run in the last 4:50 of the second quarter to take a 46-39 lead at the break, with Paul scoring nine points in that stretch. Portland's offense was slowed by its poor 3-point shooting, going 1-for-13 from behind the arc in the opening half.
NOTES: Blazers F Ed Davis has hauled in 526 rebounds in 71 games, placing him first all-time for most rebounds off the bench in a season in franchise history (503, Dale Schlueter, 1970-71). ... Clippers coach Doc Rivers was optimistic about the return of Blake Griffin before the end of the regular season. "He's doing great. He looks pretty good, so that's why I feel confident," Rivers said in Oakland on Wednesday prior to the loss to Golden State. "I think he will return but I don't think any of us know anything in that regard. I think he will be." ... The Clippers continue a three-game homestand against Denver on Sunday. The Blazers start a four-game homestand against Philadelphia on Saturday.