Clippers take 3-1 series lead with overtime victory

The Clippers moved one step closer to their first appearance in the second round of the playoffs since 2006 with a hard-fought 101-97 overtime victory over the Memphis Grizzlies in their Western Conference playoff series on Monday night at Staples Center.

The Clippers take a 3-1 series lead into Wednesday’s Game 5 at Memphis.

Blake Griffin and Chris Paul led the Clippers, as usual. Griffin had 30 points and seven assists, but only five rebounds, before fouling out with 2:26 to play in overtime. Paul had 27 points, seven assists and nine rebounds and took over in overtime with eight points.

Paul made two baskets and Griffin added a basket and two free throws to give the Clippers a 95-89 lead in overtime.

Rudy Gay cut it to two before Paul added another bucket with 1:20 to go, but Paul made the lead 99-93 with 44.5 seconds left on a running banker. A Marc Gasol dunk was followed by a Mike Conley layup with 10 seconds left to make it a two-point game.

The Grizzlies had a foul to give, forcing the Clippers to inbound the ball a second consecutive time. Mo Williams took the inbounds pass and was fouled. He went to the line with 7.2 seconds left and made both to seal the victory.

Conley finished with 25 points and Gay had 23 to lead Memphis.

In front of another raucous sellout crowd in Staples Center, the game took on a physical, fast-paced tone at the start and never let up. It seemed to have the speed of playoff hockey ... and the contact too.

Two quick baskets by Memphiscut the Clippers lead to 69-68 practically before the Clippers could lace up their shoes for the final quarter. Memphis tied the score when Gay made one of two free throws after being fouled by Nick Young.

Hamed Haddadi’s free throw gave Memphis its first lead of the second half, 70-69, with 9 1/2 minutes to play in the fourth quarter.

After the teams traded baskets, Griffin hammered home a dunk and made it a three-point play with a free throw.

Griffin found Young for a three-pointer and a 77-72 Clippers lead at the midway point of the fourth quarter.

After a timeout, Eric Bledsoe made a steal, was fouled on the breakaway and made both free throws for a seven-point lead. When Griffin found Williams for another three-pointer, the lead was 10 again. Gay quieted the crowd with a bucket before Griffin made two free throws.

Griffin picked up his fifth foul with 4:14 to play on a driving Gay, and Griffin screamed into his jersey in frustration.

Gay made two free throws, then a jumper with Griffin on the bench to cut the lead to six.

Conley’s three-pointer cut the Clippers’ led to 84-81 with 2:59 to play and forced a Clippers timeout.

Reggie Evans managed one of two free throws with 1:46 left to increase the lead to four before Zach Randolph cut it to two. A shot-clock violation by the Clippers gave Memphis the ball with 1:01 to play.

Gay, guarded by Griffin who had five fouls, tied the score at 85-85 with a short jumper with 35.5 seconds to play.

With 27 seconds to play, Paul drove hard to the right side and scored to give the Clippers an 87-85 lead.

Randolph went to the line with 20.4 left and made both, with the Clippers calling timeout. The Clippers couldn’t get off a decent shot as Paul drove into the lane and was swarmed by defenders.

Clippers 87, Memphis 87 (after fourth quarter)

The Memphis Grizzlies forced the Clippers into overtime in Game 4 of their playoff series at a raucous Staples Center.

Rudy Gay and Mike Conley led a fourth-quarter charge; each has 21 points.

Chris Paul and Blake Griffin led the Clippers. Griffin has 26 points and Paul has 19, but Memphis holds a 46-32 rebounding edge.

Paul couldn’t get off a good shot on the Clippers’ final possession, setting up the overtime.

Clippers 69, Grizzlies 64 (end of third quarter)

Is this game physical? Blake Griffin might think so. He has been hit hard every time he gets the ball inside, and unlike in the first half when he was four for six from the free-throw line, he began to struggle in the third, going one for five.

Chris Paul, as usual, is guiding the Clipper ship. He has 17 points, seven assists and eight rebounds through three quarters. Mike Conley is directing the Grizzlies with 18 points.

The Clippers made only six of 18 shots in the second quarter after making 11 of 18 in the first and needed to improve on that second-quarter statistic in the second half. They improved only slightly, making seven of 17 shots in the third quarter.

But they turned the ball over only six times in the first three quarters.

A statistical anomaly by midway through the quarter: Paul was the Clippers’ leading rebounder with eight; Blake Griffin had one. Still, the Clippers had a seven-point lead at 60-53 after a DeAndre Jordan three-foot bank shot.

Conley, the Grizzlies’ quick point guard, scored to cut the lead to five, but Paul offset that bucket with two more free throws.

With three minutes left, the Clippers’ lead was down to three on Dante Cunningham’s short jumper. Caron Butler slowed the Clippers’ stall with a contested 15-footer with 1:45 left.

Conley’sbasket cut the lead to two with 45 seconds to left, but Kenyon Martin just beat the shot clock with a hook while running across the lane to make it 69-64.

Clippers 51, Grizzlies 45 (halftime)

Maintaining an intense pace in a game as physical as a rugby match, the Clippers built a 10-point lead before the Grizzlies cut into that with the last two buckets of the half.

Blake Griffin has begun to establish command inside. He has 16 hard-earned points, followed by Caron Butler and Chris Paul with 11 each.

Mike Conley leads the Grizzlies with 12.

Paul’s solo move down the lane at the start of the quarter forced Memphis into a quick timeout. The Grizzlies regrouped and scored three consecutive baskets before Mo Williams stopped the run.

Williams brought 19,000-plus fans to their feet midway through the quarter when he connected with Griffin on a breakaway alley-oop dunk that pushed the Clippers’ lead to seven, 43-36.

Eric Bledsoe, who replaced Paul early in the quarter, made his presence felt quickly, with a helter-skelter full-court drive that put him on the line (he made one of two). He then dived out of bounds to save a ball and soon thereafter blocked a shot. He also had two rebounds with the kind of energetic showing that delights -- and sometimes torments -- Clippers fans.

The physical play of this series reached a peak when Marc Gasol was called for a hard foul on Reggie Evans, and Zach Randolph corralled Griffin in a headlock as Griffin approached Gasol. Randolph and Griffin have been going at each other like MMA heavyweights all series, and this game is no exception.

Griffin converted on another strong inside move to give the Clippers a 48-40 lead, and shortly thereafter Randolph hammered Griffin on a drive, was called for a foul and then was called for a technical when things got really physical. Two free throws later, the Clippers led, 50-40, and when Randolph, the former Clipper, left the game, he was booed wildly by the impassioned crowd.

DeAndre Jordan, who has had trouble having any positive impact for the Clippers this series, was called for a technical foul after being called for a personal foul late in the quarter. Jordan finished the half with four points and two rebounds.

Clippers 32, Grizzlies 26 (first quarter)

The Clippers and Grizzlies picked up the physical, intense play that has been a trademark of this series as Game 4 of their Western Conference playoff series opened tonight at Staples Center. All five starters scored for each team eight minutes into the game in a fast-paced quarter.

Caron Butler led the way for the Clippers with 11 points on four-of-six shooting. Chris Paul had eight and Blake Griffin six. Memphis spread its scoring almost equally among six players. The Clippers shot 61% to Memphis’ 42.9% and, stunningly, made all seven of their free throws.

Despite an arena packed with fans wearing red T-shirts loudly supporting the Clippers, the Grizzlies took a 6-0 lead before Butler, starting his second consecutive game despite a broken left hand, made a short jumper. But Memphis responded immediately with two quick baskets to force a Clippers timeout with 8:17 to play in the period.

Butler kept the Clippers from being blown out early with a dunk and inside move to bring the Clippers back to 12-8 after they had fallen behind 12-4.

Griffin was fouled hard on a breakaway and went to the line for two free throws with 6 minutes to go; he made both, a shocking development for a team that has struggled to make half its free throws in the playoffs.

Griffin tied the score, 12-12, with another breakaway.

The Clippers took their first lead on a breakaway dunk from Paul to DeAndre Jordan, and a tecnhical on Rudy Gay put Chris Paul on the line, and suddenly the Clippers led, 23-20. O.J. Mayo’s three tied it before Randy Foye’s three-pointer pushed L.A. ahead again.

Jordan’s dunk on a feed from Mo Williams pushed the lead to 28-23, the Clippers’ biggest advantage at that point.

Pregame

They haven’t made their free throws when they’ve needed to, and they’re not getting much production out of their starting center, but the Clippers still hold a 2-1 lead over the Memphis Grizzlies as they continue their Western Conference first-round playoff series at a sold-out Staples Center Monday night.

Caron Butler, who gave the Clippers an emotional spark, but little esle, when he started Saturday’s victory despite a broken hand that was expected to keep him out at least a month, is ready to play again Monday night.

Butler, who scored only four points and had three rebounds Saturday, was clearly limited by the injured left hand when he played 22 minutes, but his presence offered teammates visible proof of his intensity.

The Clippers are looking to get more production inside from center DeAndre Jordan, who has struggled against Memphis’ aggressive inside game. Jordan was scoreless and had only three rebounds in 17 minutes Saturday; Reggie Evans picked up some slack with 11 rebounds and his physical style.

Still, the Clippers played solid defense Saturday, holding Memphis to 40% shooting and limiting the Grizzlies to 15 points in the fourth quarter.

The Clippers are trying to win an opening-round playoff series for only the second time since they’ve been in Los Angeles. Game 5 goes back to Memphis on Wednesday.

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