Griffin's 31 Points Help Clippers Hold On Against Jazz, 107-101
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com/AP) — Blake Griffin scored 31 points, Jamal Crawford added 19 to go over 15,000 in his career and the Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Utah Jazz 107-101 Monday night.
Reggie Bullock scored all of his 12 points on 3-pointers and Chris Paul notched his first triple-double with the Clippers, finishing with 13 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds. Paul showed no ill effects after spraining his left foot a night earlier. Los Angeles went 3-1 playing four games in five nights to start the season.
Paul's triple-double is his first since with the Clippers, and first since 2010-11.
Crawford had missed Sunday's loss to Sacramento because of bruised ribs. He returned to go over the milestone on a floating jumper at 6:53 of the fourth. He has 15,003 points.
Gordon Hayward scored 27 points, Enes Kanter added 17 points and nine rebounds, and Alec Burks 16 points for Utah, which has lost three of four.
There were eight lead changes, but the Jazz never led by more than two points. Their last lead came on Rudy Gobert's dunk early in the fourth. They got within one twice more, but the Clippers found ways to keep extending the lead.
After struggling offensively in their first three games, the Clippers got untracked by shooting 51 percent and making 15 of 17 free throws.
The Jazz ran off 13 straight points to tie the game at 62 in the third. Hayward hit a 3-pointer and added a steal and layup in the spurt. Griffin and Paul combined to score eight straight before Bullock's fourth 3-pointer kept the Clippers ahead 73-70 going into the fourth.
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