MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Chris Paul begged coach Vinny Del Negro to put him back into the game for the fourth quarter and not give up despite being down 21 points.

The result was another Clippers comeback — one of the greatest in NBA playoff history.

Paul hit a pair of free throws with 23.7 seconds left, and the Clippers rallied from a deficit that had been as much as 27 to stun the Memphis Grizzlies 99-98 Sunday night in the opening game of their Western Conference series.

The key, Paul said, is to keep believing.

“Unfortunately, that’s how we play,” he said. “We get killed in the first three quarters and in the fourth quarter we like to try to stand up for ourselves, and we found a way to win tonight.”

The Clippers tied the NBA playoff record for largest deficit overcome at the end of three quarters, when they trailed by 21.

“I don’t think I’ve been part of a game like that ever,” Clippers forward Blake Griffin said. “It was unbelievable.”

Rudy Gay missed a 15-footer with 0.9 seconds left after the Grizzlies squandered a lead they held for the first 47 minutes, with a 24-point cushion disappearing in about nine minutes.

“Obviously, we gave it away, and everybody’s kind of down,” Gay said. “We’re still into it. It’s a long series, and we’re ready to fight. That’s all this means. We’ve got to fight hard.”

The Clippers lost Caron Butler to a broken left hand, and he said he thinks he caught his hand in Gay’s jersey on a screen. Del Negro said other players will have to step up.

Nick Young did just that, scoring 19 points off the bench with three three-pointers in the midst of the Clippers’ 26-1 run. Paul finished with 14 points while playing a team-high 38 minutes despite a groin injury that kept him out of the regular season finale against the Knicks. Griffin had 17 and Butler 12 before leaving the game.

Young said he didn’t even see the score, being on the court down the stretch for a change. He said he looked up late and saw they had a game when he started hitting his shots.

“It’s crazy. It’s a blessing,” Young said. “It shows how hard we fought. How we rallied together as a team, and just made stops down the end.”

Gay finished with 19 for Memphis. Mike Conley and O.J. Mayo had 17, and Marc Gasol scored 14.

Game 2 is Wednesday night.

The Clippers outscored the Grizzlies 35-13 in the fourth quarter, the most points in the final period by a Memphis opponent this season. Los Angeles also hit 13 of 17 from the floor, including five of six beyond the arc after hitting only one the first three quarters.

The Grizzlies looked ready to roll as they ran out to a 20-point lead in the first quarter and were up by 27 twice in the third.

Also on Sunday:

Hawks 83

Celtics 74

ATLANTA — Josh Smith scored 22 points and grabbed 18 rebounds, leading Atlanta over Boston in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference playoffs, the final minute turning ugly when Celtics star Rajon Rondo was ejected for bumping an official. The Hawks, who led by as many as 19 in the first half, were clinging to a four-point lead when Rondo lost his cool with 41 seconds remaining — and may have cost himself a chance to play Game 2 Tuesday night.

Spurs 106

Jazz 91

SAN ANTONIO — Tony Parker scored 28 points and San Antonio beat Utah to win its playoff opener for the first time in four years. Tim Duncan added 17 points and 11 rebounds, helping the Spurs dodge another early playoff letdown. The Spurs have won 11 in a row. Game 2 is Wednesday in San Antonio.

Lakers 103

Nuggets 88

LOS ANGELES — Kobe Bryant scored 31 points, Andrew Bynum posted the Lakers’ first playoff triple-double in 21 years with an NBA postseason record-tying 10 blocked shots, and Los Angeles thoroughly controlled the tempo in a playoff-opening victory over Denver. Bynum, the Lakers’ All-Star center coming off his best regular season, also had 10 points and 13 rebounds while incredibly blocking 11 percent of the Nuggets’ 90 shots.