Clippers rally late to beat Grizzlies in Game 3

It wasn’t as historically dramatic as in Game 1, when the Clippers came back from 24 points down with about eight minutes left to pull off a win.

But the Clippers did manage to pull off another dramatic, heart-stopping comeback victory in Game 3 on Saturday, barely scraping out an 87-86 win in the final seconds in front of a sell-out crowd of 19,060 at Staples Center to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven playoff series.

Game 4 is Monday at Staples Center.

The Clippers trailed for most of the second half until guard Randy Foye made a huge three-point shot with 3 minutes 17 seconds left to tie the score at 80.

On Memphis’ next possession, Zach Randolph missed a step-back jump shot and Reggie Evans gathered the rebound.

The Clippers came up empty on offense, but they stopped Memphis again and on its next trip down the court. Then All-Star point guard Chris Paul buried an 18-foot jump shot with 2:02 left to give the Clippers an 82-80 lead.

With the crowd on its feet and roaring, the Clippers came up with a huge steal.

Then Paul weaved into the lane and bounced a pass to a cutting Blake Griffin, who slammed it with two hands, drawing the loudest roar of the game, one that seemed as if it would blow the roof off of the building.

Memphis came up empty on offense again, giving the ball back to the Clippers with a four-point lead and 25.4 seconds left.

Though the Clippers struggled to make free throws for most of the game, Paul made both with 23 seconds left as the crowd was chanting “M-V-P” to give his team a six-point lead.

Rudy Gay, who finished with 24 points, nailed a quick three-point shot to cut that lead in half, and then he buried another almost impossible three-point shot at the top of the arc with less than 10 seconds to bring Memphis to within one point.

With 8.3 seconds left, Bledsoe missed two free throws, giving Memphis a chance.

But Gay missed a double-pumping three-point shot at the buzzer.

Paul finished with 24 points and 11 assists. Griffin had 17 points and Foye added 16.

For Memphis, Randolph had 17 points while Marc Gasol finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

The Clippers made only 13 of 30 free throws while Memphis made 30 of 39.

But the Clippers outscored Memphis in the paint, 34-20.

Memphis 71, Clippers 64 (end of third quarter)

Marc Gasol, an All-Star this year it’s worth noting, had been a non-factor for most of the game, but he gave the Grizzlies their first lead since the first quarter when he converted an old-fashioned three-point play midway through the third quarter.

That put Memphis ahead 60-57 with about 6 minutes left in the quarter and the Grizzlies started to ground and pound -– as they are wont to do -– to build that lead … bit … by … bit … as the quarter went along.

The physical play from the first half stretched into the second half, but the referees must have huddled during intermission and decided that it was worth getting a handle on things lest a brawl break out.

This, in turn, resulted in several whistles being blown.

Blake Griffin has three fouls and DeAndre Jordan has four while Gasol has four fouls and Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley has three.

The Clippers could be ahead if they could make some free throws. They haven’t done that for much of the season and nothing has changed today. They’re 10 for 21 from the free-throw line and Griffin is three for nine.

But instead, the Clippers are behind.

Those free throws could come back to haunt them.

Just the same, the Clippers are getting out-worked on the glass, again. Memphis holds a 32-23 rebounding edge.

That could also come back to haunt the Clippers.

A little bit of play-by-play:

Randy Foye hit a much-needed three-point shot to pull to the Clippers to within four with 3 minutes 47 seconds left.

Conley responded with a baseline jumper as the shot-clock was expiring to keep it a six-point game.

Nick Young, who had just checked in, buried a crowd-pleasing three-point shot from the left corner.

Then Rudy Gay hit a short baseline shot to put Memphis back up by five points.

The Clippers couldn’t knock down free throws but Memphis did. The Grizzlies have made 23 of 29 from the free-throw line.

Gay has 15 points to lead Memphis and has made nine of 11 free throws. Zach Randolph has 13 points.

Chris Paul has 17 points and 10 assists for the Clippers and Griffin has 15 points but only three rebounds.

Clippers 50, Memphis 46 (halftime)

What an entertaining second quarter here at Staples Center, and it ended with quite a highlight.

Blake Griffin intercepted an inbounds pass by Memphis forward Marreese Speights with about two seconds left before the halftime buzzer.

Griffin stole the pass around the three-point line and then headed toward the basket and leapt from just outside the lane.

Time was running out as Griffin flew toward the rim and slammed it with one hand over Speights as the buzzer sounded.

The crowd went absolutely bonkers then and again when the referees said the basket, which gave Griffin his 11th and 12th points, counted.

That was just how the quarter closed.

Let’s get back to how it opened.

The Clippers kicked off the second quarter with a 13-1 run.

And you could, if you were so inclined, consider that run as an 18-1 advantage for the Clippers if you added the 5-0 push they used to close the first quarter.

Either way, the Clippers were hot to close the first quarter and hot to start the second, and it looked like they were going to run away with the game, especially because that’s how they were scoring -– by running.

Memphis tried to slow the bleeding at two different points with timeouts, but, alas for the Grizzlies, that didn’t work.

Momentum was clearly on the Clippers’ side, as was the crowd, which could tell the game had reached its first turning point.

During the run, the Clippers were pushing the ball up the court with Chris Paul or Eric Bledsoe.

Mo Williams was also key for the Clippers, hitting a pair of three-point shots, one from each wing, during the run.

But as has been the case for much of the season, an early double-digit lead for the Clippers didn’t last.

Memphis tore down a 13-point deficit rather quickly with a 13-0 run to tie the score at 36 with 5 minutes 40 seconds left before halftime.

During that run, the Grizzlies corralled a few steals and forced the Clippers into one-shot possessions –- basically what the Grizzlies do against any team when they’re playing at their best: grit-and-grind basketball.

Caron Butler, playing with a fractured left hand, scored his first points on a 19-foot jumper from the right side with 3:50 left, putting his team ahead, 41-38. Not surprisingly, he hasn’t shot well –- missing four of five shots.

Griffin and Zach Randolph already had one run-in during the first quarter and they had another late in the second when they got tangled as Griffin drove baseline to the basket.

Several players got involved as Griffin and Randolph had to be separated. No technical foul was called, but Randolph, who has 11 points, is definitely under Griffin’s skin.

On the Clippers’ next possession, Griffin scored on an alley-oop slam over Randolph.

Not too long after that, Speights was issued a technical foul for arguing with the referees.

At halftime, Paul has a game-high 13 points and seven assists and the Clippers are shooting 51% compared to Memphis’ 44%.

Clippers 23, Memphis 22 (end of the first quarter)

The Clippers are playing in front of a Staples Center crowd that looks like a red sea –- a choppy and raucous red sea

The team doled out red “Clippers Nation” T-shirts at the door and almost everyone in the stands, which appears to be of the sell-out variety, has put them on. That crowd is very much alive, too.

As for the game ...

It’s been back and forth, with seven lead changes during the first quarter. Neither team led by more than five points.

Both teams shot around 50%, but troubling for the Clippers is that Memphis has a rebounding edge of 9-5.

Rebounding, if you remember, was a key issue for the Clippers last game. The Clippers talked about controlling that area by being more physical.

Physicality was the most talked about issue for both teams coming into the game.

So far, they’re feeling each other out, trading blows and so forth. Neither team has a decided edge in that area, but it has been chippy here and there.

Blake Griffin and Zach Randolph have sure been going at each other.

And Griffin was issued an early technical foul -- his first ever in the playoffs, let the record show -- after swatting Randolph’s hands away when the two were running up court.

The Grizzlies are trying to go at Griffin each time he has the ball, and he has had it quite a bit in the quarter, with the Clippers trying to establish him down low.

Griffin has eight points on three-of-four shooting, Chris Paul has seven points and four assists, and Randy Foye has scored six points on a pair of three-point shots.

Randolph’s patented step-back jump shot has fallen for him early. He hit three of his first five shots that way and has seven points.

Clippers small forward Caron Butler was back in the starting lineup, despite the fact that he has a fractured left hand. He has a brace on that hand and hasn’t shot much -- only two shots, both of them misses.

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