The Los Angeles Clippers stormed back from a 27-point second-half deficit Sunday to beat the Memphis Grizzlies 99-98 in the first game of their NBA Western Conference first-round series. Chris Paul's two free throws with 23.7 seconds left gave the Clippers the one-point lead, and Rudy Gay missed a jump shot as time expired that would have salvaged the victory for the Grizzlies on their home court. The Clippers' remarkable rally, after they trailed by 24 points with nine minutes remaining, followed emphatic victories for the top-seeded San Antonio Spurs and perennial contenders the Los Angeles Lakers in their first-round openers. Nick Young scored 19 points off the bench, including three three-pointers that were part of the Clippers' storming finish. Paul finished with 14 points, Blake Griffin added 17 and Caron Butler scored 12 before suffering a broken left hand in the second half. With the Clippers on the road, the Lakers held court in Los Angeles, where All-Star center Andrew Bynum delivered a dazzling defensive display in their 103-88 victory over the Denver Nuggets. He matched the NBA playoff record for blocked shots in a game with 10, part of a “triple-double” that included 13 rebounds and 10 points. Bynum had the Lakers' first post-season “triple-double” since Magic Johnson managed the feat in the 1991 NBA Finals. Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant scored 31 points and Spanish import Pau Gasol added 13 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. In San Antonio, Tony Parker scored 28 points and Tim Duncan added 17 to lead the Spurs over the Utah Jazz 106-91. Duncan grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds while Parker contributed a game-high eight assists and Stephen Jackson added 14 points for San Antonio, which had not won a playoff series opener in six tries. Parker scored 12 points in the second quarter to spark the Spurs to a 54-47 half-time lead and San Antonio stretched the margin through the second half, the largest edge being 104-87 with two minutes remaining. In Boston, Atlanta Hawks upset Boston Celtics 83-74 and the losers could lose one of their key players after an ugly altercation. Boston's Rajon Rondo may face a post-season suspension after his chest-bump with an official further soured the home loss. Rondo was given a technical foul for arguing a call in the final minute and quickly made matters worse by confronting referee Marc Davis and defiantly bumping him, earning a second technical and ejection.
