Clippers finally finish, beating the Memphis Grizzlies, 94-92

Each of the Clippers’ last three games came down to the final minutes of the fourth quarter. Monday marked the first time they finished, beating the Memphis Grizzlies, 94-92, at Staples Center.

With 55.1 seconds left and the Clippers down, 86-84, J.J. Redick made a three-pointer to give the Clippers a one-point advantage. On the team’s next possession, Reddick was fouled while attempting another three-pointer. He made each of his free throws to put the Clippers up, 90-86, with 13.3 seconds left.

With 3.5 seconds left and the Clippers up, 93-91, the Grizzlies had a chance to tie the score after a loose ball foul was called against Redick. Marc Gasol went to the free-throw line, and made the first, but missed the second. Chris Paul grabbed the rebound, was fouled and then made a free throw to seal the win for the Clippers.

The game featured 11 ties and 14 lead changes.

The Clippers went on a 14-2 run at the end of the third quarter and top of the fourth to push their lead to eight points -- their biggest advantage of the game. But the Grizzlies regained control with just over four minutes remaining after former Clipper Matt Barnes made a three-pointer and Mike Conley made a layup to put the Grizzlies up, 81-80.

Before Monday’s win, the Clippers had lost to the Golden State Warriors and the Houston Rockets.

Blake Griffin led the Clippers with 24 points on nine-for-19 shooting and 12 rebounds. Redick had 16 points. And Paul, who missed Saturday’s game because of a strained right groin, finished with 14 points and four assists in 32 minutes.

The Clippers had a big advantage from the free throw line, making 33 of their 37 attempts. The Grizzlies shot 29 free throws, making 20 of them. The Clippers, however, had 18 turnovers while the Grizzlies had 14.

Zach Randolph led the Grizzlies (3-5) with 26 points, nine rebounds and added four assists. Gasol had 18 points and seven rebounds. Conley had 16 points, six rebounds and five assists.

Barnes received an ovation from the crowd when he was shown on the video board. Barnes had joked before the game that he would deliver some hard fouls to his buddy DeAndre Jordan, though he ended up sparing his former teammate of his infamous antics. Jordan, a notoriously poor free throw shooter, only attempted two free throws in the game. Barnes finished with eight points on two-for-eight shooting, though he made three critical free throws with eight seconds left to cut the Clippers lead to one, 90-89.

The Clippers (5-2) now hit the road for games against the Dallas Mavericks and the Phoenix Suns.