MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- The Los Angeles Clippers tightened their defence waiting for the offence to come around. The result was a second-half burst with a strong push from the reserves to lead Los Angeles to a 101-81 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday night. "I looked up at one point, and we were shooting like 28 per cent," Clippers forward Blake Griffin said. "Our defence was keeping us there, then we finally took the game over when we started hitting shots. Thats a good lesson for us." Reserves Darren Collison and Jamal Crawford scored 15 points each to lead the Clippers. Chris Paul also had 15 points and eight assists as Los Angeles snapped a two-game losing streak. Griffin added 14 points and nine rebounds, while DeAndre Jordan had 10 points and 14 boards. The performance was a reversal from the previous night when the Clippers lost 107-97 at Atlanta -- an effort coach Doc Rivers called "awful." Rivers credited Griffin and Jordan with stopping the Memphis frontline, particularly Zach Randolph, who was returning from missing two games after ingrown toenail surgery. "I thought those two guys fought hard down low," said Rivers, who recorded his 600th win. "I just thought their leadership defensively was why we won the game." Kosta Koufos led Memphis with 17 points, while Mike Conley had 16 on 6-for-8 shooting. Quincy Pondexter scored 15, and Randolph had 12 points and 12 rebounds, but made only four of his 13 shots. The Clippers shot 13 for 20 in the fourth quarter as Paul and Griffin sat on the bench, leaving the game to the backups. "The Clippers played real well defensively," Koufos said. "They established themselves early in the second half. They hit some tough shots." The Clippers trailed 42-40 at the break before outscoring Memphis 61-39 in the second half while shooting 56 per cent. Los Angeles reserves ended the night outscoring their Memphis counterparts 50-31. "That team has a lot of good players," Randolph said. "They have a lot of good bench players that could be starting." As is the case when the two get together, it was chippy from the start. After meeting in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs the last two years, a rivalry has developed. Early in third, Jerryd Bayless shoved Griffin for a flagrant 1. Then Randolph started mouthing with anyone in a Clippers uniform. And the lobbying for calls from both teams led official Danny Crawford to warn the coaches he had heard enough complaining. In the meantime, the Clippers turned up the defence, enabling them to click off a 21-7 run to open the quarter for a double-digit lead. "I thought the way we responded was good," Griffin said. "There are challenges mentally and physically, and I think that was a mental challenge for us. We were mentally tough in that situation." The rally helped the Clipper outscore Memphis 24-11 in the frame and carry a 64-53 lead into the final quarter. Los Angeles connected on 10 of its first 14 shots in the fourth, continuing to build the lead to as many as 24. Several Clippers players said the frustration from games like the one at Atlanta is they believe in their ability to play good defence. "It would be one thing if we knew were werent capable of it, and we didnt have the bodies and the people to execute it, but we do," Paul said. "We have myself, young, athletic guys that know what were capable of. I may not be athletic, but I am young." NOTES: The road team has won the last five games in the series. Memphis last regular season home win over the Clippers was April 9, 2012. ... Los Angeles now holds a 36-35 edge in the all-time series. ... Memphis G Tony Allen sat out with a bruised hip suffered in the Grizzlies victory over Phoenix on Monday. ... The Clippers are on a seven-game road trip that opened with a 107-97 loss at Atlanta on Wednesday. They have one other seven-game swing in mid-January. ... 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Kyle Lowry Jersey .J. - The New Jersey Devils know the odds are against them as they chase a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.BATA, Equatorial Guinea - Equatorial Guinea taking over late as host of the African Cup of Nations may not be great for the tournaments troublesome last-minute planning, but its pretty good for the home team.Six months ago, Equatorial Guinea was thrown out of the African soccer championship for cheating in qualifying. On Saturday, it will play in the tournaments opening game against Republic of Congo in front of its own red and blue-clad fans.How did that happen?Equatorial Guinea stepped in late last year when Morocco pulled out as host because of Ebola, fearing the deadly virus might spread during the 16-team, three-week tournament. With its decision to stand in, Equatorial Guinea earned a spot for its team in place of Morocco.When the Equatorial Guinea team learned it would participate in the CAN (African Cup), it was very quick. Quick, quick, Equatorial Guineas newly-appointed Argentine coach Esteban Becker said on Friday. And we have organized the team for a new coach. But the players mentality ... for them the mentality is very happy for the African Cup.The national team is theoretically picked from a population of just over 700,000 people, although foreign-born players once dominated the Equatorial Guinea lineup and sometimes got the country into trouble. Equatorial Guineas initial disqualification last year was for selecting a player from neighbouring Cameroon.At this African Cup, the teams strength will again be playing at home, as it was three years ago when it co-hosted the Cup of Nations and reached the quarterfinals, surprising Senegal on the way.Were not thinking about the quarterfinals, the semifinals or the final, captain Javier Balboa, who once played for Real Madrids reserve team, said ahead of this campaign. Game by game by game.In 2012, Equatorial Guineas riotous home support spurred it on. But on Friday, just a few supporters stood outside a broken-down ticket office on the outskirts of Bata Stadium, one wearing a wooly Equatorial Guinea hat and team scarf in the 30-degree heat and sweltering equatorial humidity. It didnt look like a mad rush for tickets on the eve of the opening night, when Burkina Faso also faces Gabon in a double-header at the same stadium.dddddddddddd.Fearing poor crowds — a problem at many African Cups — the government announced this week that ticket prices would be reduced to cater for the many poor.They will start at 500 Central African francs, or around $1, in the remote host towns of Mongomo and Ebebiyin. The cheapest tickets will be $2 for games in the bigger cities of Bata and Malabo, the capital. And for 40,000 supporters, their tickets to a game will be free, bought for them by the countrys president. Teodoro Obiang Nguema announced his gesture to the country on national television this week.Let those who have the means help the poor, Obiang said. Myself, I bought 40,000 tickets.A charm offensive, maybe. But for this curious country halfway up the west coast of Africa, where Spanish is spoken, oil is big business and the autocratic Obiang has been firmly in charge since he took over in a coup in 1979, the tournament could be a major boost for its image if it comes off.Still, it is a risk.There are already problems with the organization, including no running water and dangerous electric cables at one teams hotel, no rooms at all for another squad, and a training ground located in the middle of the rainforest and a two-hour drive from its base for a third, tournament favourite Algeria.Coach Claude Le Roy, whose Republic of Congo plays Equatorial Guinea in the opening game, has complained bitterly about the standard of his teams hotel. Le Roy declined to answer questions on the issue on Friday, telling reporters to go ask organizers the Confederation of African Football about the running of the tournament, which he has said should have been delayed to give Equatorial Guinea more time.As Le Roy spoke at Bata Stadium, the lights suddenly failed, temporarily plunging a media room into darkness. As they flickered weakly back on again, Le Roy started laughing.___Gerald Imray is on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GeraldImrayAP Youth NFL Jerseys China Wholesale Throwback Jerseys Disocunt Football Jerseys China Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping Wholesale NFL Gear Cheap Jerseys ' ' '