LOS ANGELES _ A critical moment arrived sooner than the Los Angeles Clippers expected, putting the team in a tenuous state that required an urgent response Tuesday night in Game 2 of its Western Conference playoff series.
So it truly was essential that the Clippers were able to grind out a 99-91 win over the Utah Jazz at Staples Center to ensure the best-of-seven first-round series did not reach a dire point.
"We won so I would say we responded," Clippers coach Doc Rivers said. "I liked our physicality tonight and theirs too. It was a physical game. We had 60 points in the paint and only eight free throws."
Losing the first game here, and home-court advantage in the process, meant it was imperative for the Clippers to even the series 1-1.
Now they will hit the road and attempt to reclaim home court, beginning with Game 3 Friday night in Salt Lake City. Game 4 will also be in Utah.
"It's a great arena," Rivers said about the Jazz's home court. "It's one of the few basketball arenas. They are sitting right on top of you. The fans are terrific there. And the noise is not going to be for you.
"Having said that, I've never seen a fan block a shot or get a steal. So at the end of the day, it's going to be only 10 guys out on the floor. You just got to keep your composure and your trust."
Chris Paul did yeoman work to make sure the Clippers didn't fall into a hole, scoring nine of his 21 points in the fourth quarter. He also had 10 assists and played his customary strong defense, getting three steals.
His pass for a Blake Griffin three-pointer increased the Clippers' lead to nine points late in the game. Then Paul stole the ball from George Hill on the next possession to basically seal the game for the Clippers.
"He was good through adversity, which I thought was really good," Rivers said about Paul, who had three fouls in the first half that forced him to the bench. "He got in foul trouble early. And we weathered that storm as a team ... . I thought it never threw him off."
Paul had more than enough help this time around.
Griffin scored 24 points and DeAndre Jordan had 18 points and 15 rebounds before he fouled out with 52.2 seconds left.
The Clippers had a better flow on offense, making 52.4 percent of their shots.
They took good care of the basketball, turning it over just 11 times.
The Clippers made Utah All-Star Gordon Hayward work for his 20 points, holding him to five-for-15 shooting.
Joe Johnson, who hit the game-winning shot for the Jazz in Game 1, had 13 points, but he was just six for 15 from the field.
From the start, the Clippers made sure they instigated the action _ on offense and defense.
And this time, the Clippers took advantage of Jazz center Rudy Gobert's absence due to a hyperextended and bruised left knee, going inside to big men Jordan and Griffin on a regular basis in the first half.
Jordan, as he often does, did his damage mostly on lob dunks, scoring 14 points on seven-for-eight shooting in the first half. He also had 10 rebounds and one blocked shot before halftime.
Griffin had 13 points in the first half. His only issue was being called for a technical foul while sitting on the bench with 3 minutes 39 seconds left in the first quarter.
The Clippers built a 13-point lead in the first half behind the play of Jordan and Griffin.
But that lead was down to 79-70 at the end of the third quarter, which let the Clippers know they were going to have to earn this victory because the Jazz weren't going away easily.
