Until the officials had to ruin all the fun, that is.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oahaPDpkV7U
For the second time in three nights, the Los Angeles Clippers and Memphis Grizzlies transformed the Staples Center hardwood into the UFC Octagon.
It was a true playoff slugfest, as both teams flexed their muscle on basketball’s biggest stage.
So naturally it came down to a battle between the two teams’ shortest, smallest players on the court. Chris Paul and Mike Conley traded their floor general roles for a place on the front lines, trading haymakers for clutch baskets as the seconds ticked toward the end of regulation.
Conley split a pair of free throws to cut L.A.’s lead to five with just over four minutes remaining. Paul then sandwiched a pair of jumpers around a pair of Conley buckets to keep the lead at five with 2:35 left.
After Darrell Arthur ran off his own five-point run with a jumper and an and-one finish in transition, Paul dropped in a runner to give L.A. a narrow two-point edge at the 1:20 mark. After an errant Marc Gasol jumper, the Clippers had the chance to extend their lead but failed to recognize a dwindling shot clock after Paul had given them the possession off a jump ball.
Conley orchestrated the offense on what could have been the final trip of regulation, finding a streaking Gasol for an uncontested dunk to even the score at 91 with 13.9 seconds left on the clock.
Following a Clippers timeout, Paul received a pass from Jamal Crawford with less than eight seconds remaining.
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