Clippers 116, Jazz 114: Chris Paul hit a pair of free throws with 3.4 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter after being fouled by Al Jefferson as visiting Los Angeles extended its franchise-record winning streak to 16 games.
Paul finished with a game-high 29 points, Blake Griffin contributed 22 and 13 rebounds and DeAndre Jordan added 16 points and 10 boards for the Clippers, who have not lost since Nov. 26 against the New Orleans Hornets.
Randy Foye sank five 3-pointers en route to 28 points and Jefferson chipped in 22 for the Jazz, who were 9-of-15 from beyond the arc but lost for the fourth time in five games. Utah looks to salvage a split of the home-and-home series Sunday in Los Angeles.
The Clippers held a 29-22 lead after the first quarter despite 14 points from Foye, who was 4-for-5 from the field and 3-for-4 from 3-point range. But Gordon Hayward scored 10 consecutive Jazz points in the second to turn a 34-31 deficit into a 41-36 advantage, and Utah continued with a 9-3 run to increase the lead to 11 points.
The Jazz built a 74-55 advantage less than four minutes into the third, but Los Angeles used a 21-5 burst to get within 79-76 with 1:52 remaining in the period. The Clippers moved ahead 107-106 on a three-point play by Jordan with 3:27 left in the fourth and Paul snapped a tie with his free throws.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Utah has lost three in a row at home after beginning the season with a 9-1 mark at EnergySolutions Arena. ... Clippers F Matt Barnes scored only six points off the bench after pouring in a game-high 21 in Thursday's win over Boston. ... Los Angeles' winning streak is the NBA's longest since the Celtics captured 19 in a row during the 2008-09 season.
L.A. Clippers | Utah | |
Chris Paul 29 | Scoring | Randy Foye 28 |
Chris Paul 6 | Assists | Jamaal Tinsley 5 |
Blake Griffin 13 | Rebounds | Al Jefferson 8 |
Chris Paul 13 | Free Throws Made | Gordon Hayward 9 |
DeAndre Jordan 3 | Steals | Al Jefferson 2 |
N/A | Blocks | Gordon Hayward 2 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
L.A. Clippers | 116 | 49.4 | 7-23 | 33-41 | 20 | 35 | 0 | 11 | 16 |
Utah | 114 | 47.9 | 9-15 | 37-40 | 20 | 36 | 7 | 7 | 17 |