Los Angeles Clippers vs Utah Jazz Match Player Stats On Apr 21, 2017

The Sports Xchange
Apr 22, 2017

SALT LAKE CITY -- Chris Paul scored 24 of his 34 points after halftime to help the Los Angeles Clippers rally in the fourth quarter for a 111-106 victory over the Utah Jazz on Friday in Game 3 of their first-round Western Conference playoff series.

Los Angeles took a 2-1 lead in the series and notched its first ever playoff win in the state of Utah after going 0-5 in previous trips.

DeAndre Jordan tallied 17 points and 13 rebounds while Luc Mbah a Moute added 15 points for the Clippers. Blake Griffin scored 11 points and collected six rebounds before leaving with a bruised right big toe late in the second quarter. He did not return in the second half.

Gordon Hayward scored a career-high 40 points to lead the Jazz. George Hill added 26 points and Joe Johnson chipped in 15 off the bench for Utah.

The Clippers erased a double-digit deficit by the end of the third quarter. They finally went ahead for the first time since the first quarter with 4:01 left in the game. Paul made four straight baskets to cap a 15-0 run and put Los Angeles up 103-96 with 2:09 left.

Joe Johnson made back-to-back baskets to cut the deficit to three points and Hill trimmed it to 106-105 after draining a 3-pointer with 7.1 seconds left. But Paul and Redick made free throws in the final seconds to seal the win.

Hayward powered Utah's offense almost by himself during the first quarter. He totaled 21 points on 7-of-8 shooting -- highlighted by a trio of 3-pointers -- while playing all 12 minutes. His scoring in the quarter equaled the team output for Los Angeles during that same stretch.

The Clippers seized an early 12-8 lead behind a dunk from Jordan and a layup from Redick on back-to-back possessions. Hayward trimmed the lead to one on a 3-pointer and then drained back-to-back baskets and a free throw to put Utah in front 19-15.

After Paul tied it with a jumper, the Jazz closed the quarter on a 15-2 run to take a 34-21 lead.

Hayward helped spark the run with his third 3-pointer and capped it with a reverse layup and three free throws.

Los Angeles chipped away at Utah's lead during the second quarter. Paul drained a pull-up jumper and a pair of free throws to get the Clippers within a basket at 49-47. The Jazz countered with a 7-0 run to push the lead back to nine at 56-47. Joe Ingles stole the ball and fed it to Hill for a basket to ignite the run and punctuated it with a 3-pointer.

Paul and Jordan put Los Angeles on their back in the third quarter after Griffin did not return. The duo erased Utah's lead by the end of the third quarter. Paul hit several critical baskets and Jordan finally tied it at 82-82 on a pair of free throws.

NOTES: Jazz C Rudy Gobert (knee) and G Alec Burks (knee) did not play in Friday's game. G Austin Rivers (hamstring) and C Diamond Stone (knee) were inactive for the Clippers. ... F Luc Mbah a Moute set a playoff career high with 15 points. Mbah a Moute scored in double figures for the fourth time in six games after reaching 10-plus points just 12 other times previously this season. ... F Gordon Hayward's 21 first quarter points exceeded his total scoring for the Jazz in Game 1 (19) and Game 2 (20) against the Clippers. ... Los Angeles finished with a 41-27 advantage on the glass against Utah. ... Jazz G George Hill eclipsed 1,000 career playoff points in the second quarter.