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By DOUG ALDEN AP Sports Writer
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- Rookie Deron Williams banked in a running jumper with 2.4 seconds left to lift the Utah Jazz to a 105-103 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday, despite blowing a 13-point lead in the final period.
The Jazz beat the Clippers for the 32nd time in the last 33 meetings in Utah -- barely.
Sam Cassell, who tied it at 103 on two free throws with 9.7 seconds left to play, nearly won it for Los Angeles, but his half-court shot at the buzzer bounced off the front of the rim.
Mehmet Okur led the Jazz with 29 points and Carlos Boozer had 11 points and 10 rebounds for the Jazz. Williams finished with 10 points and seven assists.
Elton Brand scored 14 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter and led the Clippers to a late rally that tied it, but Los Angeles never held a lead. Vladimir Radmanovic scored 17 and Cuttino Mobley had 12 points as all five Clippers' starters scored in double figures.
Radmanovic also pulled down 13 rebounds and was 4-for-5 from 3-point range as the Clippers tried to win their fourth straight. Chris Kaman returned after missing two games with a sprained ankle and finished with 10 points and eight rebounds. Corey Maggette, back after missing 39 games with a foot injury, scored 12 points for the Clippers.
After allowing Utah to score the first seven points of the final quarter and take an 84-71 lead, the Clippers slowly rallied and set up a thrilling finish.
Radmanovic made a 3-pointer that cut Utah's lead to 98-97 with 1:27 remaining. The Jazz answered with Okur's backboard-shaking, two-handed dunk off a pass from Williams with 1:08 remaining.
Maggette got the Clippers within a point again on a reverse layup, but Okur answered that with a 3-pointer that got the sellout crowd roaring with the home team up 103-99. But it wasn't quite over.
Brand got the Clippers within two again with 27.5 seconds left and Utah could have run the clock to less than 4 seconds, but Devin Brown tried a layup which Brand stuffed and the Clippers got the ball back with 11.9 seconds left.
Williams fouled Cassell, who made both free throws, but atoned for it at the other end when he dribbled to the top of the lane and let a shot go just past the free-throw line. Andrei Kirilenko nearly tipped it, but didn't touch it, and the ball bounced off the glass and through the hoop.
Notes:@ The Clippers and Jazz meet only three times this season. This was the only game in Utah. ... Utah had just one turnover in the first half and six in the game. ... The Jazz struggled from the free-throw line again, making 18 of 29. ... The Clippers had 14 turnovers.
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) APTV-03-03-06 2327MST
