The Los Angeles Clippers erased a 14-point first-half deficit to take down the Utah Jazz 111-106 in Game 3 on Friday night in Salt Lake City.
https://youtu.be/W_wwBRfQpvw
The Clippers hadn’t even even led the game since being up 13-11 midway through the first quarter, until Chris Paul drained this three with four minutes left to give Los Angeles a 97-96 lead:
And they wouldn’t lose the lead after that. Los Angeles outscored Utah 62-48 in the second half, thanks mainly to Paul scoring 24 of his team-high 34 points in the half.
Gordon Hayward led the game in scoring with 40, but the Utah small forward had a brutal inbounds pass to basically end the game in the final seconds. This inaccurate bullet pass is Colin Kaepernick-esque:
So, the Clippers got a huge road victory to go up 2-1 in the series, but they may have to win Game 4 without Blake Griffin (then again, they made this comeback without him). The Clippers’ star power forward left Game 3 in the second quarter with a right big toe injury.
Blake Griffin apparently suffers an injury on this play and he knows it.
(Via @clippittv)https://t.co/ZVJRPdt8Hy
— Def Pen Hoops (@DefPenHoops) April 22, 2017
#Clippers say star big man Blake Griffin has a bruised right big toe and will not return tonight…#NBAPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/U5WYqm80GZ
— Def Pen Hoops (@DefPenHoops) April 22, 2017
X-Rays on the toe were negative, but Griffin didn’t return to the game. He’ll reportedly undergo further testing and his status for Game 4 is uncertain, according to the Los Angeles Times:
The Clippers said X-rays were negative for a broken toe and that Griffin would undergo an MRI test later Friday night. His status for Game 4 on Sunday night here had not been determined.
“He’ll be re-evaluated tonight and we should have more news tomorrow,” Clippers coach Doc Rivers said. “So we don’t know [how he is doing] is the answer.”
Griffin averaged 25.0 points over the first two games of the series.
