Clippers 109, Mavericks 103: Chris Paul scored 31 points a night after shooting a franchise-worst 0-for-12 from the floor and visiting Los Angeles rallied from 11 points down in the fourth quarter against Dallas.

Blake Griffin added 18 points and 13 rebounds for the Clippers, but saw his streak of games with 20 or more points halted at 30. DeAndre Jordan contributed 16 points and 15 rebounds and Jamal Crawford led the reserves with 14 points, including nine in the decisive fourth quarter.

Vince Carter matched his season high with 23 points off the bench for the Mavericks, who missed a chance to move into the top eight in the Western Conference standings and now trails Phoenix by a half-game. Dirk Nowitzki scored 21 points but missed some key shots down the stretch and Jae Crowder scored another 13 off the bench for Dallas.

The Mavericks scored the first 10 points of the fourth quarter to take a 91-81 lead and were up by 11 with 8:40 left when the Clippers unleashed an 8-0 run to get back within a possession. Nowitzki missed his third straight shot since returning to the game and Griffin scored on the other end to tie the score at 101, and Nowitzki then turned the ball over in the backcourt, leading to another basket by Griffin and a two-point lead with 33 seconds left.

Monta Ellis then missed from outside, Jordan grabbed the rebound and Paul made two free throws with 12 seconds left to extend the lead to four. Ellis made a pair of free throws with eight seconds on the clock, but Crawford matched him on the other end and the Mavericks ran out of time after Brandan Wright missed two free throws with three seconds remaining.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Griffin committed his first two fouls 10 seconds apart midway through the first quarter and was later whistled for his 14th technical foul of the season. … Clippers F Danny Granger went to the locker room early in the fourth quarter with a sore left hamstring and did not return. … Ellis, who came in averaging 19 points, missed his first six shots before finishing 4-for-19 for 12 points.