Clippers force Game 7 at Staples Center with 102-96 win

The Clippers beat the San Antonio Spurs, 102-96, in Game 6 at AT&T Center Thursday night, tying the team’s first-round series, 3-3. A winner-takes-all Game 7 will be in Los Angeles on Saturday at 5 p.m. PDT.

Here’s how it went down.

With 1 minute and 19 seconds left, Marco Belinelli made a three-pointer to cut the Clippers’ six-point lead to three, 96-93. Kawhi Leonard missed a three-pointer with 40 seconds left that would have tied the game.

Chris Paul responded by dribbling down the lane and making a driving jumper to put the Clippers up by five points, 98-93 with 21.3 seconds left. With 14.9 seconds left, Marco Belinelli made another three-pointer to cut the Clippers’ lead to two, 98-96.

The Spurs then fouled Jamal Crawford, who made both of his free throws to give the Clippers a four-point lead with 10.1 seconds left, 100-96. Belinelli then missed a three-point attempt with 0.9 seconds remaining, and Blake Griffin went on to make a pair of free throws to close the game out.

Game 6 was yet another game of runs, with the Spurs leading by as many as 10 points, and the Clippers leading by as many as nine. There were five lead changes and nine ties in the game.

Griffin led the Clippers with 26 points, though it took him 21 shots, 12 rebounds and six assists. J.J. Redick had 19 points. And Paul, who didn’t make a field goal until there were 4 miutes and 43 seconds remaining in the third quarter after missing his first eight attempts, finished with 19 points and 15 assists.

Belinelli led the Spurs with 23 points, making seven of his 11 three-point attempts.

The Clippers once against struggled form the three-point line, making only four of their 18 attempts after missing 13 of their 14 attempts in Game 5.

The Spurs made 12 of their 28 three-point shots.

The Clippers were sent to the free throw line 10 more times than the Spurs (31 to 21) and made 10 more free throws than the Spurs (22 to 12).

Glen Davis sustained a left ankle sprain while awkwardly landing as he guarded Tiago Splitter early in the fourth quarter. Davis was helped off the court and did not return. He was later seen being wheelchaired to the locker room. It is not known whether he will be available Saturday.

The team’s best-of-seven series will come down to the wire. The Spurs have won five NBA championships, including one last season. The Clippers have never advanced past the second round of the playoffs.

The Spurs have beaten the Clippers in two of their three games at Staples Center in this series.

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Chris Paul, who didn’t have a field goal until a little less than five minutes remaining in the third quarter, made a three-pointer with just over seven minutes left to give the Clippers a seven-point lead, 85-78. Paul has 17 points, making six of his last eight shots from the field, and 12 assists.

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Glen Davis has been officially ruled out of the game with a left ankle sprain. He rolled his ankle as he was defending Tiago Splitter with 11 minutes left in the fourth quarter.

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Glen Davis had to be helped off the court after sustaining an injury early in the fourth quarter. He was holding up his left leg, and hopping on his right foot.

Clippers 76, Spurs 72 (end of third quarter)

The Clippers opened the third quarter with an 11-2 run to take their biggest lead of the game at nine points, 62-53, following a three-pointer from Matt Barnes with 7 minutes and 44 seconds left.

The Spurs later answered with a 7-0 run to tie the game, 70-70, after Patty Mills made a three-pointer with just over one minute left.

The Clippers closed the quarter with a jump shot by Chris Paul and a dunk by Glen Davis to take a four-point lead into the fourth quarter.

Blake Griffin made four field goals in the first five minutes of the second half. He leads all scorers with 18 points and eight rebounds. J.J. Redick has 16 points. DeAndre Jordan has 15 points and 14 rebounds.

Chris Paul made his first field goal with 4 minutes and 43 seconds left in the third quarter. He has 12 points and 12 assists.

Marco Belinelli leads the Spurs with 17 points, including five three-pointers.

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The Clippers have taken their biggest lead of the game at nine points, 62-53, following a three-pointer from Matt Barnes with 7 minutes and 44 seconds left in the third quarter. Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich called a timeout to have a word with his team.

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The Clippers opened the third quarter with a 6-0 run to take a 57-51 lead with 9 minutes and 33 seconds left. The Spurs missed each of their first four shots of the quarter.

Clippers 51, Spurs 51 (halftime)

The Spurs opened the second quarter with a 19-9 run to build their biggest advantage of the game at 10 points, but the Clippers answered with a 12-2 run, capped off by a three-pointer from Matt Barnes to tie the game at 47-47 with 1 minute and 42 seconds left in the first half.

The three-point shot is haunting the Clippers for the second consecutive game. The Spurs have made seven of their 15 shots from beyond the arc while the Clippers have missed eight of their nine shots from that range.

The Spurs made their first five three-pointers in the second quarter, including four in a row from Marco Belinelli to put the Spurs up, 41-32, with just under eight minutes left. The Spurs’ reserves are outscoring the Clippers’ bench, 21-5.

DeAndre Jordan leads the Clippers with 15 points on four-for-five shooting and 10 rebounds. The Spurs have been using the Hack-A-Jordan strategy, sending the Clippers’ center to the free-throw line 13 times -- he has made seven of those shots.

J.J. Redick has 14 points on five-for-eight shooting. Chris Paul has missed each of his seven field goal attempts, though he’s made each of his four free throw attempts and has eight assists.

Belinelli leads the Spurs with 12 points. Kawhi Leonard has 10 points, two rebounds and one assist, but he has turned the ball over four times.

The Clippers have been sent to the free-throw line 25 times, and have made 18 of those shots. The Spurs are six for 10 from the charity stripe.

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Marco Belinelli made three consecutive three-pointers to put the Spurs up, 38-32, with 8 minutes and 35 seconds left in the second quarter. The Spurs’ reserves are outscoring the Clippers’ bench, 16-3.

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Marco Belinelli made a three-pointer with 10 minutes and 23 seconds left in the second quarter to give the Spurs a 32-29 lead. The Spurs have made four of their seven three-point attempts, while the Clippers have still yet to make one.

Clippers 26, Spurs 26 (end of first quarter)

The Clippers led by as many as seven points before the Spurs went on a 9-2 run to end the quarter.

Each of the Clippers starters have scored except for Chris Paul, who has missed each of his six shots, including a layup and a 3-pointer at the buzzer.

J.J. Redick leads all scorers with 12 points on four-for-five shooting. DeAndre Jordan has six points on two-for-two shooting and five rebounds. Blake Griffin has six points, though he only has one rebounds and no assists. Paul has six assists. Kawhi Leonard leads the Spurs with six points and one assist, but he turned the ball over three times

The Spurs have made two of their four three-point attempts while the Clippers have missed each of their six shots from beyond the arc.

The Spurs, however, have eight turnovers while the Clippers only have four.

The Clippers have made each of their eight free throws. The Spurs are six for eight from the free-throw line.

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The Clippers have pulled ahead by five points, 15-10, following a turnaround jumper by Blake Griffin with 6 minutes left in the first quarter. Each of the Clippers starters have scored except for Chris Paul, who has missed each of his four shots.

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DeAndre Jordan just made a dunk to give the Clippers a 9-6 lead with 9 minutes and 41 seconds left in the first quarter. Both teams have opened the game shooting well -- the Clippers have made four of their five field goals and the Spurs have made both of their two field goals.

Pregame

The Clippers face potential elimination in Game 6 in San Antonio.

The Spurs have a 3-2 lead in the team’s best-of-seven first-round series. If the Spurs win, the Clippers are eliminated from the playoffs. If the Clippers win, the teams will play an elimination Game 7 in Los Angeles on Saturday.

The Spurs won Game 5 in Los Angeles, 111-107. In that game, DeAndre Jordan made a tip-shot with 4.9 seconds left and the Clippers down, 108-107, but that shot was ruled offensive interference by the officials and waived off. The Spurs then went on to make three free throws in the final seconds of the game to give the Spurs the four-point win.

The Clippers have never made it past the second round of the playoffs. The Spurs have won five NBA championships, including one last season.