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Clippers force Game 7 on back of Paul's 29-point night

Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports / Action Images

SALT LAKE CITY - Chris Paul scored 29 points and the Los Angeles Clippers forced a Game 7 in their first-round series with a 98-93 victory over the Utah Jazz on Friday night.

The Clippers will host the only do-or-die game of the first round Sunday, with the winner advancing to face the Golden State Warriors.

Los Angeles began to edge away in the third quarter and appeared to be in control when Austin Rivers capped a 9-2 run with a step-back 3-pointer that pushed the lead to 91-77 with 3:58 remaining.

He hit another with 1:29 left to make it 96-86, but Gordon Hayward scored seven straight to bring the Jazz within three before Joe Johnson missed a 3-pointer in the waning seconds.

After Paul finally got some help from his teammates. DeAndre Jordan was active around the basket and had four dunks in the quarter. Jamal Crawford warmed up and scored eight in the quarter. The Clippers used an 18-4 run to take an 11-point lead and went into the fourth quarter up 78-70.

Paul pushed Los Angeles throughout the night and just wouldn't let the Clippers lose. The nine-time All-Star dominated and finished with eight assists, three rebounds, and two steals. Jordan added 13 points and 18 rebounds.

The Clippers overcame a slow start to finish at 49 percent shooting from the field. The Jazz went in the opposite direction, getting sloppy with the ball in the third quarter and making numerous defensive mistakes. They also shot just 41.0 percent from the field and were 7-for-26 from behind the arc.

Hayward led the Jazz with 31 points, George Hill added 22, and Rudy Gobert finished with 15 points and nine rebounds.

The Clippers took a 47-45 lead into halftime after closing on an 8-2 run, including a pair of jumpers by Luc Mbah a Moute.

The Jazz jumped out to a 22-13 lead and looked to be on the brink blowing the game wide open before the offense went cold and the Clippers ripped off an 11-0 run. Utah shot just 3-for-13 from 3-point range in the first half and missed several wide-open attempts.

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