Paul, Williams help Clippers earn rare win in Utah

SALT LAKE CITY — The dandy little guard duo of Chris Paul and Mo Williams both missed the Los Angeles Clippers' last game against the Utah Jazz a couple of weeks ago with injuries.

And the Clippers' outstanding young power forward, Blake Griffin, wound up taking a back seat that same night in his personal matchup with Utah counterpart Paul Millsap.

That contest turned out to be no-contest at all, as the Jazz manhandled the Clippers in a 29-point beatdown, 108-79.

Well, what a difference a couple of weeks — and a couple of key players — can make in a team's fortunes.

Paul and Williams were both back in the Clippers' lineup on Wednesday night, and they were extremely instrumental as that "other" team from Los Angeles grabbed a seldom-seen (as in almost never) 107-105 victory over the Jazz at EnergySolutions Arena.

Paul, who never seemed to enjoy this type of performance against Utah when Deron Williams manned the point guard position for the Jazz, poured in a game-high 34 points and handed out 11 assists. He also had five rebounds and three steals.

"He's just one of those guys that can make everybody on the floor better," Utah swingman C.J. Miles said of Paul, who was traded to the Clippers from New Orleans in a mid-December blockbuster deal after a similar trade to the L.A. Lakers was voided by the NBA. "He gets the ball in his hands. He makes the right decisions.

"When you've got a guy that can make the big shot or assist somebody up, you've got Chauncey (Billups) and Mo Williams out there making shots, too. He makes it tough on you and he showed tonight why."

Mo Williams, who was taken by Utah in the 2003 NBA Draft and spent one season with the Jazz, added 19 points off the bench, including a couple of crucial free throws with three seconds remaining that helped seal the deal.

He did, however, have to put up 18 shots from the floor.

And Griffin definitely got the better of Millsap and Co. this time around.

The 6-foot-10 beast scored 31 points and grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds, and he also blocked three shots and managed to play the final 5:54 with five personal fouls and didn't foul out.