The
They trailed the
Then they were down by four points with less than a minute to go in overtime after failing to guard
Somehow, they ended up swarming
"The best part," Griffin said after the Clippers' 121-120 triumph, "is how every timeout we came to the huddle and we might be down, we might be up, but people were saying, 'We're going to win this game' or 'We're not out of it. Just keep playing.' That's what we did."
The improbable victory left the Clippers (15-5) on such a high that their team charter seemed optional for the flight to Indianapolis on Tuesday. They will start a three-game trip Wednesday against the
It was the type of effort they could not conjure last month in losses to Sacramento, San Antonio and Chicago, when things went wrong and the Clippers faltered amid the pressure.
"This is better than all of them," Clippers Coach
The Clippers needed nearly everything to go right after Morris' shot left them facing a 120-116 deficit with 43 seconds left in overtime. The Suns forced a jump ball that found its way to
Phoenix ticked down too many seconds on its ensuing possession,
That gave the Clippers the ball with 5.1 seconds left, but the Suns smartly fouled Griffin with 2.6 seconds remaining, foiling the possibility of getting the ball to a wide-open Redick.
Chris Paul then inbounded the ball to Griffin, who took one dribble, stepped back and rose for the 26-footer that eventually settled into the basket after hitting the front of the rim and the backboard.
"After it hit the rim and went up," Clippers center DeAndre Jordan said, "I knew it was going in. I just feel like the basketball gods were on our side there."
Something was certainly working in the Clippers' favor considering the absence of Crawford, who received a technical foul and was ejected early in the fourth quarter after complaining about a non-call on a turnover. The sequence prompted Rivers to bark at the referees and earn his own technical.
"I thought there was a lot of complaining by both head coaches, all the players and that's why I was so surprised by the ejection," Rivers said, "because with all that complaining going on all game, Jamal, probably the most soft-spoken guy of all of them, is the one that gets it.
"But we just found a way to win and to me, it's one of those games where I can't wait to watch the film. I'll be happy and furious at the same time because I know we can play better but the objective is to win games like this."
CLIPPERS VS. INDIANA PACERS
When: 4 p.m. PST.
Where:
On the air: TV: Prime Ticket; Radio: 980, 1330.
Records: Clippers 15-5;
Record vs. Pacers (2013-14): 1-1.
Update: The Pacers have been unable to overcome a season-ending injury to
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