ORLANDO, Fla. – Chris Paul scored 29 points, including 11 points in the fourth quarter and overtime, and the Los Angeles Clippers overcame a 15-point first-half deficit and slipped by the Orlando Magic 107-102 on Monday night.
Blake Griffin and Chauncey Billups each added 18 points for the Clippers.
The Clippers have won six of the last seven games and snapped a nine-game losing streak to the Magic. But they may have lost Billups for an extended period after he slipped and left in the fourth quarter with a left Achilles injury.
Dwight Howard had 33 points and 14 rebounds, and Jason Richardson 20 points for the Magic.
Orlando's loss ends a three-game win streak. It came as point guard Jameer Nelson returned to the lineup after missing five consecutive games with concussion symptoms, but had 15 points and 12 assists.
Back-to-back 3-pointers by Nelson and J.J. Redick put the Magic up 100-96 with 2:49 remaining in overtime.
Caron Butler used a 3 of his own a few possessions later to nudge the Clippers back ahead 101-100 and then Paul floated a jumper over the outstretched hand of Howard to make it 103-100.
Jason Richardson cut it to a basket with a dunk on the other end, but the Magic couldn't grab a missed jumper by Paul.
Mo Williams connected on a pair of free throws with 12.6 seconds left, but left the Magic a chance to tie. Richardson's 3-pointer from the wing rattled out and Paul was able to close the game out at the line.
The Clippers led by as many as nine in the fourth quarter before Billups went down with 5:48 to play in regulation. He had 11 points in the quarter and 18 in the game before his injury.
Nelson would score six straight Magic points, followed by Ryan Anderson's 3-pointer to tie the game at 89 with 2:45 left.
A driving layup by Paul put the Clippers back in front 93-91 before Richardson completed a three-point play to put the Magic back up a point.
A turnover by the Clippers gave the Magic the ball back, but Richardson was then stripped near midcourt by Butler. The ball went ahead to Paul on the fast break and eventually ended up in the hands of Griffin, who was fouled and hit 1 of 2 at the line.
The Magic milked the clock for a final shot, but Nelson missed a fade away jumper. The Clippers rebounded and wound up with five-tenths of a second, but after a timeout, Williams' 18-foot jumper at the horn missed off the front of the rim.
Nelson didn't show any noticeable effects from his layoff, dishing to Howard for an easy dunk on the Magic's first possession of the night.
He also didn't shy away from contact, throwing his body in front of Griffin early in the second quarter as he attempted to catch a lob from Paul on a fast break.
Orlando built as much as a 15-point lead in the first half, but took only a 47-42 edge into halftime thanks to a second quarter scoring drought that allowed the Clippers to get back in the game.
Howard was virtually unchallenged underneath going 9 for 11 from the field and 3 for 5 from the foul line in the half to lead all scorers with 21 points.
Nelson's penetration also opened up the lane for the Magic, which had a 30-16 halftime edge in points in the paint.
Notes: Howard posted his 19th double-double of the season. ... Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said he and big man Glen Davis talked Monday morning and are on the same page following his two-game suspension for a verbal run-in with Van Gundy. "He's (had) some frustration with his role and being with a new team," Van Gundy said. "But I've never thought for a second that he was a bad guy." ... Though he wasn't available Monday night, Clippers free agent signee F Kenyon Martin did shoot at the team's morning walkthrough. Coach Vinny Del Negro said that one of the benefits of signing the 6-foot-9 Martin is he'll bring even more flexibility to an already deep roster. He said that could even mean Griffin getting minutes at small forward. ... Former major league baseball player Gary Sheffield was in attendance Monday night.
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