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Randolph dominant as Grizzlies take Game 3 from Clippers

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- During the individual pregame warmups, Zach Randolph was the last of the Memphis Grizzlies to leave the floor.

He stayed extra-long, working on his post moves, flipping in shots from both sides of the basket.

Then, he went out and did it to the Clippers. The veteran forward had a turn-back-the-clock performance, going for 27 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Grizzlies to a 94-82 Game 3 victory in a first-round Western Conference series.

The win cut the Clips' series lead to 2-1 with Game 4 set for Saturday afternoon in FedExForum.

"Most definitely I wanted to come out and start aggressively," Randolph said. "I want to be quick, hit my first few shows and stay aggressive."

Marc Gasol added 16 points and eight rebounds, Tony Allen had 13 points and nine rebounds, and Mike Conley had six points and 10 assists.

The Clippers were led by Blake Griffin, who had 16 points. Point guard Chris Paul was held to eight points.

Thanks to a 45-33 rebounding advantage, the Grizzlies were able to play the game at their tempo. They limited the Clippers to just nine fast break points and held their own against the L.A. bench, getting outscored just 35-30.

"It's hard to run when you don't have the ball," Clippers' coach Vinny del Negro said. "Rebounding was a big factor. They had 17 offensive rebounds and really worked the glass. They controlled the pace."

In the first two playoff games, the Clippers came out swinging, trying to attack Randolph and draw fouls. In game three from the opening tip, Randolph attacked back.

He scored seven of the Grizzlies' first 11 points as the Griz took a 11-10 lead with 5:33 left in the opening quarter. Randolph showed renewed energy, posting quickly on offense and his teammates got him the ball pronto.

"Zach got us going early, he had 18 at the half and we all sort of fell in behind him," Griz coach Lionel Hollins said. "We didn't play well in game one, played a little better in game two and improved in this game. We've got to keep getting better."

The Grizzlies led by as many as 14 points with 1:22 left in the third quarter before the Clippers cut the lead to seven points with starters Paul, Griffin and DeAndre Jordan resting on the bench.

That trio re-entered with 7:37 left to play, but the Grizzlies didn't flinch. The Griz bench didn't put them in a bad spot heading down the stretch, and all the starters were fully armed and not in foul trouble.

For the first time in the series, the Grizzlies' bench didn't bend under the pressure of the Clippers' reserves, either during the game's first substitution rotation or in the second half.

Quincy Pondexter scored 13 points off the Memphis bench, and Keyon Dooling had seven, including 2-of-2 threes.

"We're a team that relies on everybody," said Gasol, who was honored before the game as the league's Defensive Player of the Year. "We know how good our bench can be, because they done it before. They have our trust."

Hollins took note to keep at least two starters on the floor at just about all times. Such strategy seemed to steady the Griz. When all the Griz starters returned, they went on a 9-0 run and led 47-39 at the half.

Hollins emphasized before the game that the Grizzlies would have to come out firing every quarter, especially after halftime. And they did, with the offense coming from an unlikely source -- Allen, the league's best perimeter defender.

Allen, who didn't score in the first half, scored six points in the first three minutes of the half. Memphis got into the last 2:36 leading by 10, but seemed it was losing energy and focus when a media timeout occurred. The Clips finished the quarter on an 8-0 run and trailed just 70-62 entering the final period.

But they couldn't complete the comeback. Paul, who had averaged 23.5 points in the first two games of the series, including two strong fourth quarters, scored just two points in the second half. He was held scoreless the game's last 17:40.

Both teams shot 38.8 percent from the field. But the Clippers couldn't overcome the lack of rebounding or committing 18 turnovers that led to 17 Memphis points.

"They came out very aggressive," Paul said. "They rebounded, they got to the free line and we never got over the hump. They made some great adjustments and we expected them to play that way."

NOTES: Paul took just 11 shots and made four, but didn't attempt a free throw. "That's on me, I've got to do a better job of getting to the basket," said. Griz guard Tony Allen said the Grizzlies' improved pick-and-roll defense shut down Paul. "Our bigs had their antennas on when he (Paul) was coming off screens," Allen said. "We tried not to let him go right as much as he wanted. That's his strong hand." ... The Grizzlies' win snapped a three-game Clippers' win streak in the Memphis dating back to last year's game seven in the first round of the playoffs.