LOS ANGELES -- On an exceptional, emotional night, the Los Angeles Clippers returned to their "safe haven" and moved to the brink of winning just their third playoff series since Donald Sterling bought the team in 1981. Sterling wasnt there to witness the 113-103 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday, and he wont be at future games. The Clippers stirring victory at energized Staples Center came hours after NBA Commissioner Adam Silver banned Sterling for life, fined him $2.5 million and called on NBA owners to force him to sell the team for making racist comments. DeAndre Jordan had 25 points, a playoff career high, and 18 rebounds while Chris Paul scored 20 points as the Clippers took a 3-2 lead in the first-round series. "I think it put a lot of guys minds at ease," Paul said. "Its been tough the last few days, but weve been getting through it." Clippers coach Doc Rivers high-fived each of his players near the bench in an uncommon display of excitement as the final seconds ticked away. Guard Jamal Crawford hugged and slapped hands with fans at courtside on the way to the locker room. "I thought they were great," said Rivers, who before the game said he hoped Staples Center would be a "safe haven" full of adrenaline. "I thought they were tired a lot, and that was the result of the last few days. I just thought they had great mental toughness. They wanted to will this game, and Im just proud of them." Game 6 is Thursday night in Oakland. The Clippers were greeted with a standing ovation when they came out for pregame warmups. They kept on their Clippers warmup suits, unlike Sunday in Oakland, when, in a silent protest against Sterling, they tossed their sweatsuits bearing the team logo onto the court and went through their pregame routine with their red shirts on inside out. Players from both teams wore black socks. With so many sponsors bailing on the Clippers, there were few advertisements on the video boards. A few non-digital signs were covered over. The PA announcer constantly reminded the crowd, "We Are One." One fan wore a T-shirt that read: "Sterling Out Equality In." The distraction since the scandal broke Saturday was "monumental," said Crawford, who scored 19 points. "You couldnt shake it. Youd try to take a nap, youd wake up, and youd think its a bad dream. You couldnt shake it but it drains you, even mentally more than physically. Im glad we had the strength to get through it. With that cloud over you, you never know. This thing could have gone either way." Blake Griffin scored 18 points and Darren Collison had 15 for the Clippers. Klay Thompson led the Warriors with 21 points. David Lee and Andre Iguodala scored 18 apiece while Stephen Curry had a so-so game with 17 points, including four 3-pointers. "We had the momentum coming off the last game but we had too many turnovers and we were not consistent," Curry said. "Our defence didnt stick to its plan. "We have to figure out how to control the paint and cant let them get off to a big start," he said. "We knew they would come out with a lot of emotion but after the first quarter it felt like a regular playoff game." Curry stole the ball and hit a 3-pointer to give the Warriors a 70-69 lead late in the third quarter. Paul answered with a 3-pointer to put the Clippers up 72-70. Crawford then poked the ball away from Curry, broke free, got the pass for a dunk and a four-point lead with 1:11 left. Paul hit another 3 with 1.1 seconds left in the third for a 77-72 lead. Griffin scored eight points in the first 6 minutes of the fourth quarter. Jordan made six of eight free throws in the final period. With the Clippers leading by three points early in the fourth quarter, Griffin scored two quick baskets to make it 83-78. He made a turnaround jumper to push the lead to 90-81 with 7 minutes to go. Jordan had four blocks and Paul had five steals. "We knew it was going to be loud and thats what will be waiting for us on Thursday at home," Warriors guard Steve Blake said. "Weve got to believe and if we do that, we can come back and win two games." Austin Rivers Rockets Jersey . -- The Windsor Spitfires were left with just one goaltender Tuesday after having their starter walk out on them midway through Game 3 of their Ontario Hockey League playoff matchup with the London Knights. Steve Francis Jersey . -- Novak Djokovic benefited from an erroneous call and claimed he didnt realize he had broken the rules. https://www.rocketsrookiesshop.com/Michael-Carter-Williams-City-Edition-Jersey/ . Braden Calverts Winnipeg rink rallied to defeat Italy 8-7. After giving up three points in the second end, Calvert came back with a single, then stole two more points in the next two ends to tie it up at the fifth-end break. Marquese Chriss Rockets Jersey . - Doug Kalitta led Top Fuel qualifying Friday in the NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway with a 3. Carmelo Anthony Jersey . - Whether its because of her improved play or the reason for it, Michelle Wie appears as comfortable on and off the golf course as at any time in her career. SAN FRANCISCO -- An attorney for Miami Marlins ace Jose Fernandez said a sharp grounder that struck the right-hander in the thigh before his final start caused him to change his throwing motion and may have contributed to him needing season-ending elbow surgery. Tampa-based attorney Ralph Fernandez explained the timeline for the pitchers injury in a lengthy statement to Miami media on Friday. He said the reigning NL Rookie of the Year had to alter his delivery after getting hit on the back of the left leg by a sharp grounder off the bat of Dee Gordon in the Marlins 5-4 win over Los Angeles on May 4 in Miami. Fernandez pitched five innings at San Diego on May 9 in his last start before the Marlins announced he would need Tommy John elbow ligament replacement surgery, which he had Friday in Los Angeles. "Jose did not have a pre-existing condition," Ralph Fernandez wrote in a statement. "While pitching during the recent Dodgers game in Miami he was struck by a ball on his rear thigh. This prompted a completely unanticipated change in delivery which neither the staff nor his coaches could discern. "After the game we spoke as we always do. Jose was concerned about his arm. Despite many exchanges on the subject in the days that followed he felt that with the Marlins regaining first place in the division he could not let his team down. Apparently the injury was worse than he believed. In San Diego in the third ending he suffered a traumatic event, tossed a couple of more innings and the rest is history." Marlins manager Mike Redmond saaid before the Marlins played the San Francisco Giants on Friday night that nobody on the team knew of Fernandezs injury until his start in San Diego.dddddddddddd "I just think if it was bothering him, then he should have said something and we wouldve obviously shut him down and taken those precautions," Redmond said. "As soon as we found out that he had a sore arm, we shut him down and got an MRI and got everything looked at and got the information that we needed." Redmond also refuted that Fernandez changed his delivery after getting hit in the thigh against the Dodgers. "He looked the same to me in that game after that," Redmond said. Marlins president Michael Hill said in a statement that Fernandezs surgery went well. He said Fernandez would return to Miami and immediately begin his rehabilitation program. Attorney Ralph Fernandez said in his statement that he, the Marlins, the pitcher and his agent, Scott Boras, all agree that surgery was the proper course of action. Typical recovery time is 12 to 18 months. The 21-year-old Fernandez was put on the disabled list earlier this week, becoming the latest in a string of major league pitchers this year who have needed Tommy John surgery. Fernandez finished 4-2 with a 2.44 ERA in eight starts this season. Fernandez made 28 starts last year, going 12-6 with a major league-best .182 opponents batting average. His 2.19 ERA was second in the majors behind three-time defending ERA champ Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers. Fernandez struck out 187 in 172 2-3 innings. ' ' '