The Clippers turned the tables on the Utah Jazz.
After the Jazz overcame an injury to one of their best players to stun the Clippers in Game 1 of the first-round NBA Playoffs series, Los Angeles overcame the loss of Blake Griffin to shock Utah, 111-106 in Game 3.
The Clippers rallied from a 14-point third quarter deficit without one of their best players as Griffin left the game with a right big toe injury in the second quarter and did not return.
Without Griffin, Chris Paul and DeAndre Jordan picked up the scoring slack. Paul led the way with 34 points and 10 assists, including nine straight points as the Clippers went on a 15-0 run late in the fourth quarter.
CP3 has taken over late in the 4Q... #NBAPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/Cit2MMyNMp — NBA TV (@NBATV) April 22, 2017
Joe Johnson finally ended the run with a two-point basket with 1:52 remaining, but the damage had already been done, and the Clippers iced the game away with free throws.
DeAndre Jordan had 17 points and 13 rebounds in Griffin's absence as the Clippers take home-court back in the series.
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Gordon Hayward had the best game of his limited playoff career, scoring 40 points including 21 in the first quarter.
George Hill had 26 points in the loss.
Initial x-rays on Griffin's toe were negative, and many fans in Utah will say things are now even after Jazz center Rudy Gobert went down with a knee injury in Game 1 and has missed the last three games.
Griffin will undergo further testing to determine the extent of the injury to the big toe, but his reaction before entering the locker room suggests it could be severe after he pounded his first repeatedly in frustration before heading back for X-rays.
Up Next:
Game 4 of the best-of-seven series will be on Sunday, April 23, at 6:00PM PST in Salt Lake City.
