LOS ANGELES -- Portland Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts liked the fire of his team, but the Los Angeles Clippers extinguished it in the end.

Blake Griffin scored 26 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and handed out six assists, and the Clippers held on for a 121-120 victory over the Trail Blazers in a testy and physical affair Monday night at Staples Center.

Four technical fouls and two ejections were issued in the final five minutes of the contest between the Western Conference rivals. Griffin received 40 stitches for a cut to his upper lip after a late-game collision.

Free throws allowed the Clippers to prevail and extend the Blazers' losing streak to four games.

"It was probably our most competitive game of the year," Stotts said. "I thought we really competed. It was a tough loss, but I liked the way we competed throughout the game. We got down, we came back, we didn't back down. It was a very good effort."

Chris Paul contributed 21 points and 14 assists, while J.J. Redick chipped in 19 points for Los Angeles (18-7). Jamal Crawford added 14 points off the bench.

"For us, it's about playing the right way and building up wins," said Paul, who scored 12 of his 14 second-half points in the third quarter and helped the Clippers sweep the season series. "I think this was our last time playing (Portland) this year, so it's one of those things where it's about us making sure we're playing the right way and keeping the spirit right."

CJ McCollum paced the Trail Blazers (12-14) with 25 points, and backcourt mate Damian Lillard collected 24 points and eight assists. Mason Plumlee had 18 points, seven rebounds, six assists and five blocked shots for Portland. Reserves Evan Turner and Allen Crabbe scored 15 and 13 points, respectively.

Two foul shots by Paul pushed the Clippers' margin to 118-113 with 18 seconds remaining, but there was plenty of action in the game's final moments.

With 11.5 seconds left, tempers flared when Clippers center DeAndre Jordan and Turner had to be separated after Jordan fouled Lillard. Jordan and Turner were ejected.

After Lillard made both free throws to cut the deficit to three, Wesley Johnson committed a turnover on the inbounds pass, giving Portland possession with 9.5 seconds left in a three-point game. Raymond Felton intentionally McCollum with 7.9 remaining. McCollum converted both foul shots to shorten the lead to 118-117.

McCollum, though, grabbed the jersey of Redick before the Clippers could inbound the ball, allowing Redick to get a foul shot and awarding the Clippers the ball again. Redick made the free throw, then was fouled and sank two more at the line to put the Clippers up by four.

Lillard nailed a 3-pointer with 1.7 seconds left, but the Clippers were able to run out the clock for the win.

"We competed, we played hard," said McCollum, who connected on 9 of 17 shots, including 2 of 4 3-point attempts. "It came down to a couple of possessions at the end of the game, but it's definitely a step in the right direction in terms of intensity level and defending."

The Blazers outscored the Clippers 33-18 in the second quarter for a 60-56 edge at the break.

The Blazers made 50.6 percent of their shots overall to 47.2 percent for the Clippers. On 3-pointers, the Blazers made 10 of 21 (47.6 percent) to 11 of 23 (47.8 percent) for the Clippers.

The contest featured 12 lead changes and 12 ties.

"I obviously didn't think we played great, but we won the game, and you always take the win and you take the positives out of that," Clippers coach Doc Rivers said.

Forward Al-Farouq Aminu returned after missing the Blazers' loss to the Indiana Pacers on Saturday due to a back contusion. Aminu, a former Clipper, finished with 10 points in 21 minutes.

NOTES: Clippers G Austin Rivers remains in the concussion protocol and his return is up in the air. Los Angeles coach Doc Rivers said the player passed two tests but had more to complete. Austin Rivers was injured in the third quarter of Saturday's lopsided win over New Orleans when he took an elbow to the head from Pelicans F Terrence Jones. He will accompany the Clippers on their upcoming road trip. ... Clippers G Raymond Felton returned to the lineup after missing the previous two games due to a family matter. He scored 10 points Monday. ... F Ed Davis scored in double figures against the Clippers in his initial four games as a member of the Trail Blazers but was held scoreless in the previous two meetings. He wound up with seven points Monday. ... Portland returns home to face the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday. Los Angeles begins a three-game trip at the Orlando Magic on Wednesday.