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SALT LAKE CITY -- After spraining his ankle, Chris Paul might have lost some quickness. He compensated with determination. Paul shook off the injury and the teams early sluggishness to score 18 points and extend the Los Angeles Clippers winning streak to 10 with a 96-87 victory over the Utah Jazz on Friday night. "I knew I had just had to find a way," Paul said. "We already said at halftime, its not going to be pretty every night, but stay the course and find a way to win." Before Paul got hurt, it certainly wasnt pretty and the Clippers struggled. Blake Griffin had 20 points, even though he never got into a comfortable flow. "Its never an easy game coming into a place like this," he said. "You cant relax and walk into a building and think youll just win because of who you are or what you done, or a streak youre on." Los Angeles had its lowest points total during the streak, but the Clippers won this time with defence, forcing 20 turnovers by the Jazz that led to 31 points. "Thats what we kept saying in the huddle, Lets play our defence!" Paul said. "Early in the game, it was like they were just in a rocking chair. They were swinging it and getting everything they wanted." The Jazz led 70-60 in the third quarter, but the Clippers capitalized on a rash of Utah miscues and poor shot selection to go on a 20-2 run. "We locked in. The intensity and the effort was finally there," Griffin said. In the midst of the surge, Paul landed awkwardly after scoring and sprained his left ankle. "It was the freakiest thing ever. I layed it up and no one was around me but when I landed, my left foot was on the stanchion," said Paul, who returned after quickly getting the ankle taped between the third and fourth quarters. The point guard limped up and down the court, but still quarterbacked the Clippers come-from-behind-third quarter burst. He had seven points and three assists in the six-minute run that ended with Will Greens 3-pointer with 10:37 to play that made it 80-72. Griffins inside basket extended the lead to 85-74 before the Jazz made one final surge. Hayward made a 3-pointer that closed the gap to 90-85 with 3:25 remaining, but the Jazz couldnt score again until 24 seconds remained and the game was decided. Trey Burke had 18 points -- his third straight with at least that many -- and Derrick Favours also scored 18, but the Jazz made only seven of 19 fourth-period shots and have dropped eight of nine contests. The Clippers scored an average of 115 points a game in their previous nine, but were sluggish early against Utah. The Jazz led by as many as 13 in the first half as they played with more energy than theyve shown in the past several games. One thrilling sequence exemplified Utahs determination near the end of the half. Jeremy Evans and Gordon Hayward blocked back-to-back fast-break layups by the Clippers and brought the crowd to its feet. "Our biggest area of growth will be maintaining that type of intensity throughout the game and playing that way for 48 minutes," Burke said. The Clippers missed the shooting and playmaking of Jamal Crawford (calf), but turned to their stars, Paul and Griffin, to bring them back and claim their ninth straight against the Jazz. "Chris started being more aggressive," Los Angeles coach Doc Rivers said. "I think sometimes he wants to be the point guard, but tonight we needed his scoring." Griffin ranks fourth in the league with more than 28 points per game since Feb. 3 and has now scored at least 20 points in 25 consecutive games, the second-longest current streak in the NBA. But it was defence that turned the tide. "It was definitely a defensive thing," Griffin said. Matt Barnes contributed 15 points and Darren Collison had 14 as the Clippers set a season-high for fast-break points with 31. "Were tough to guard in transition. Blake makes some great decisions," Paul said. Starting in place of injured Marvin Williams (back), Enes Kanter had 11 points and 15 rebounds, but shot just 5 for 17 for the Jazz. "In the second half, they were just aggressive and we couldnt match them," Kanter said. NOTES: In honour of the upcoming St. Patricks Day holiday, the Jazz wore their road green uniforms. The Clippers played in their regular red away attire. ... Collisons layup at the first-half buzzer was disallowed after video review. ... The Jazz fell to 0-12 when Williams is out with injury, while the Clippers are 6-0 without Crawford. ... Paul had seven assists to move into 30th place all-time, passing Mookie Blaylock. . The 2010 batting champ showed what he can do when hes mostly healthy. Gonzalez homered, doubled and singled in his return to the lineup, and the Colorado Rockies snapped a five-game losing streak with a 13-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday night. . The Rangers announced after Thursdays 4-2 loss to the New York Yankees that they would purchase Williams contract from Triple-A Round Rock. The 32-year-old Williams was released by Houston earlier this month after going 1-4 with a 6. . Gustafsson controlled the first round after getting top position on a throw, and came out much more forcefully in the second, buckling Manuwa with a Muay Thai knee, and finishing him off with strikes on the ground. . Alen, 28, hit .315 with five home runs, 59 RBI and a career-high nine stolen bases for the Goldeyes last season. He is the longest serving catcher in Goldeyes history, having already spent five seasons with the organization. . - Nikita Jevpalovs scored 6:22 into the second overtime as the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada edged the visiting Rimouski Oceanic 2-1 on Tuesday in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League playoff action.Find out who will be victorious in the Super League Grand Final when Wigan take on Warrington live from Old Trafford this Saturday on Sky Sports from 6pm. The Grand Final is here. After 168 matches Warrington and Wigan are the last two teams left as they prepare to battle it out to be crowned Super League champions of 2016.Two teams with different skill sets but the same belief, passion and commitment will clash at Old Trafford on Saturday. They say it comes down to these last 80 minutes, but this showdown has beeen forged over the whole season, with both teams overcoming marathon campaigns to reach the final hurdle.dddddddddddd You can watch the Super League Grand Final, Englands tour of Bangladesh, plus Premier League football on Sky Sports. Upgrade now and enjoy three months at half price! Also See: Sky Live: The Grand Final VOTE: Greatest Grand Final try Farewell to Stevo Follow us @SkySportsRL ' ' '
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