Clippers earn rare win in Utah

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02/02/2012 - Salt Lake City, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It wasn't easy, but the Clippers picked up their first win in Salt Lake City since 2003.

Los Angeles had lost 15 straight against the Jazz in Utah, but got a season- high 34 points and 11 assists from Chris Paul to earn a 107-105 victory in a game which featured 12 ties and 14 lead changes

Blake Griffin added 31 points and 14 rebounds and executed a key three-point play in the final minute for the Clippers, who have won four straight overall.

Al Jefferson, a game-time decision due to an ankle injury, had a team-high 27 points and 12 boards for the Jazz, who saw their two-game win streak come to an end. C.J. Miles scored 16 and Paul Millsap finished with 14.

The Clippers were up 92-87 on Paul's up-and-under layup with under five minutes to play, but Jefferson followed with a bucket and hit 1-of-2 free throws shortly thereafter to make it a two-point game.

The margin was still two, 96-94, when Paul was off on a fadeaway jumper, but Mo Williams snared the offensive rebound and collided with Miles in mid-air, drawing a foul in the process. He made both foul shots with 30 seconds on the clock.

Jefferson quickly responded with a jump hook on the baseline but the Clippers broke Utah's press with ease and Griffin took the ball from half court to the basket, making a layup and drawing a foul on Jefferson. The ensuing free throw made it 101-96.

Utah wouldn't go easily, however. Millsap and Miles hit three-pointers on the team's next two possessions, but veteran Chauncey Billups answered both times with a pair of free throws.

Billups' second trip to the line had the Clippers up 105-102 with seven seconds left and Paul fouled Devin Harris to prevent another Utah three- pointer.

Harris made a pair, then Williams made a pair. Miles was fouled by Billups with a second to play. He hit the first free throw and intentionally missed the second, but LA reserve Reggie Evans was there to grab the rebound and seal the win.

Earlier, Griffin and Paul combined for 26 of their team's 32 first quarter points and LA took a three-point lead into the second. There the Jazz responded, opening with a 15-2 run to take a 10-point lead, the largest advantage of the game for either team.

The Clippers responded, though, tying the game late in the quarter on Paul's floater before Jefferson made it 58-56 at the half with a short jumper. Neither team led by more than four in the third and the Jazz were up 74-72 entering the fourth.

Game Notes

The Clippers' last win in Salt Lake City came on January 22, 2003...LA's four- game win streak marks a season-high...Williams had 19 points...The Clippers held a 50-35 rebounding advantage.

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NCAA Football Betting : USC's reward: Top spot in Top 25

NEW YORK (AP) -By staying away from the cupcakes, Southern California earned itself a slim new ranking.

No. 1 always seems to fit USC.

Southern California jumped two spots to No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 on Tuesday, rewarded by voters for opening the season with a dominant performance on the road against a BCS conference opponent.

Georgia and Ohio State, the preseason Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, started their seasons with glorified scrimmages at home against FCS (formerly I-AA) teams. USC, however, traveled across country to face Virginia and could not have been more impressive in a 52-7 victory.

Georgia fell to No. 2 and Ohio State to No 3.

"We realize that rankings so early in a season are certainly fluid. But rankings do help establish a pecking order for things later in the season," USC coach Pete Carroll said in a statement. "As for moving into the No. 1 spot, it's nice to know that people think highly of our team."

Since reaching No. 1 on Dec. 7, 2003, the final-regular season AP poll of that season, USC has been No. 1 in 39 polls, by far the most of any team during that time.

"Some have said the voters are taking our schedule into consideration," Carroll said. "Our philosophy has always been to schedule outstanding opponents. We need to play challenging games like we just did, traveling across the country to open the season at Virginia. Games like that bring out our best and make us stronger as a team."

The latest voting was close. USC received 21 first-place votes and 1,539 points from the 65-member media panel. Georgia had 20 first-place votes and 1,506 points. Ohio State got 15 first-place votes and 1,497 points.

"I'd say we've evolved as pollsters," said Stewart Mandel of SI.com, who moved USC up to No. 1. "In the past, voters just kind of automatically moved teams up and kept teams where they were if they won."

Georgia beat Georgia Southern 45-21 on Saturday and Ohio State opened with a 43-0 win over Youngstown State.

"There's a bit of a growing backlash for the amount of teams that open with I-AA cupcakes," said Mandel, whose book "Bowls, Polls and Tattered Souls" chronicles college football's controversies. "To see a team [USC] go on the road and play a New Year's Day bowl team from last season, and not only play them but destroy them, how could you not reward that team?"

USC also jumped past Georgia to No. 1 in the USA Today coaches' poll, which has the same top five as the AP poll.

"It's definitely a privilege to be No. 1. But it's not heartbreaking to me if we drop," Georgia offensive lineman Josh Davis said. "It doesn't matter right now what we're ranked. What matters is our next game and right now, that's Central Michigan. The only time the polls matter is in December. That's when the polls matter."

While the Bulldogs opened easy, their schedule ultimately should be as difficult as any team's. Georgia's big nonconference test is at No. 15 Arizona State on Sept. 20. The Bulldogs also face six Southeastern Conference rivals that've been ranked in the first two polls.

As for Ohio State, the Buckeyes play at USC on Sept. 13 before getting into the Big Ten schedule.

But of the teams in this week's top 10, USC and Texas are the only ones that don't play an FCS opponent, and the Trojans are the only team that doesn't play a team from a non-BCS conference.

Get the latest 2009 BCS Championship odds at MySportsbook.com.

The last team to drop from No. 1 after a victory was USC last season. LSU jumped from No. 2 to No. 1 when it beat Tulane 34-9, the same week the Trojans edged Washington 27-24 on the road.

The last preseason No. 1 team to lose the top spot after winning its opening game was Florida in 2001. The Gators beat Marshall 49-14, but preseason No. 2 Miami opened with a 33-7 victory over Penn State and the Hurricanes jumped to No. 1 with Florida slipping to second.

The next four teams in the new Top 25 stayed the same: No. 4 Oklahoma (two first-place votes), No. 5 Florida (five first-place votes), No. 6 Missouri (one first-place vote), No. 7 LSU (one first-place vote) and No. 8 West Virginia.

No. 9 Auburn and No. 10 Texas each moved up a spot, taking advantage of Clemson's big drop. Clemson, ninth in the preseason, fell out after losing 34-10 to Alabama on Saturday.

Also falling out after losses were Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh and Tennessee.

Moving into the rankings were No. 21 Fresno State, No. 22 Utah, No. 23 UCLA and No. 24 South Carolina.

Alabama moved up 11 spots after its big victory over Clemson.

The second 10 started with No. 11 Wisconsin, followed by Texas Tech, Alabama and Kansas. BYU and Arizona State were tied for 15th. Rivals BYU and Utah are both ranked for the first time since 1996.

South Florida was No. 17, ahead of Oregon, Penn State and Wake Forest at No. 20.

The final five were all the teams to move into the ranking, except for Illinois, which dropped four spots and tied South Carolina for No. 24.

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