Collison, Crawford lead Clippers past Grizzlies

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Reserves Darren Collison and Jamal Crawford scored 15 points each and the Los Angeles Clippers used a strong second half to beat the Memphis Grizzlies 101-81 on Thursday night.

Chris Paul also had 15 points and eight assists for the Clippers, who snapped a two-game losing streak. Blake Griffin added 14 points and nine rebounds, while DeAndre Jordan had 10 points and 14 boards for Los Angeles.

Kosta Koufos led Memphis with 17 points, while Mike Conley had 16 on 6-for-8 shooting. Quincy Pondexter scored 15, andZach Randolph - back after missing two games following ingrown toenail surgery - had 12 points and 12 rebounds.

The Clippers shot 13 for 20 in the fourth quarter as Paul and Griffin sat on the bench, leaving the game to the backups.

The Clippers trailed 42-40 at the break before outscored Memphis 61-39 in the second half while shooting 56 percent. As Los Angeles pulled away in the fourth quarter, it was with the bulk of its starters on the bench. Jordan was the only starter to play down the stretch.

Los Angeles' reserves ended the night outscoring their Memphis counterparts 50-31.

The first half was pretty sloppy with both teams shooting about 40 percent and committing 10 turnovers each. And is the case when the two get together it was chippy from the start. After meeting each other in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs the last two years, a rivalry has developed.

For the most part the stats were even in the first half. Both teams made two 3-pointers and had 21 rebounds.

Memphis' seven-point lead in the second quarter, was erased with a 14-4 rally by the Clippers. The Grizzlies led 42-40 at the break.

Early in third things got real testy. Jerryd Bayless shoved Griffin and got called for a flagrant 1. Then Randolph started mouthing with anyone in a Clippers uniform. And the lobbying for calls started from both teams to the point that official Danny Crawford warned the coaches he had heard enough complaining.

In the meantime, the Clippers turned up the defense, enabling them to click off a 21-7 run to open the quarter for a double-digit lead.

The rally helped the Clipper outscore Memphis 24-11 in the frame and carry a 64-53 lead into the final quarter.

Koufos opened the fourth with two baskets, but Collison hit a jumper, then two field goals from Crawford sent the game back to a 13-point lead for the Clippers.

Los Angeles connected on 10 of its first 14 shots, continuing to build the lead to as many as 24.

NOTES: The road team has won the last five games in the series. Memphis' last regular season home win over the Clippers was April 9, 2012. ... Los Angeles now holds a 36-35 edge in the all-time series. ... Memphis G Tony Allen sat out with a bruised hip suffered in the Grizzlies' victory over Phoenix on Monday. ... The Clippers are on a seven-game road trip that opened with a 107-97 loss at Atlanta on Wednesday. They have one other seven-game swing in mid-January. ... Counting the first-round playoff games the last two seasons, the Grizzlies and Clippers have played 22 times since Jan. 26, 2012.