The Clippers filled a glaring need in the frontcourt Friday by agreeing to a contract with veteran free agent power forward Kenyon Martin. The deal is pending Martin passing a physical.

Martin had been playing with the Xinjiang Tigers in China but was allowed out of a season-long contract with the club when FIBA, which oversees international basketball, stepped in on his behalf.

In doing so the 6-9 forward was free to sign with a team in the NBA and the Clippers, who need help behind center DeAndre Jordan and power forward Blake Griffin, immediately showed interest.

Martin has career averages of 13.5 points and 7.2 rbounds over 11 seasons with the New Jersey Nets and Denver Nuggets and averaged just over 8 points and 6 rebounds last year with the Nuggets.

Martin chose the Clippers over the Miami Heat, Lakers and Atlanta Hawks, among others showing interest, and it will be interesting to see how much his past relationship with Clippers guard Chauncey Billups helped in swaying him to Los Angeles.

Chris Paul's two foul shots with 17 seconds left sealed the 109-105 come-from-behind win for the Clippers in Denver. Paul and former Nugget Chauncey Billups spearheaded the comeback in the fourth and helped Los Angeles (11-6) gets its second road win of the season.

"As you know, we gotta get better on the road, said Billups, who played with Denver last season before getting shipped to the Knicks midway through the year. "We have to be locked in defensively. Chris hit some major, major baskets at the end. It was a good win for us"

The Clippers were down 10 in the fourth quarter, but went on a 10-point run with shots by the two veterans. The Clippers went up three points late, but Denver's Nene hit two straight dunks and got the host team up by one with 47 seconds left.

Paul then took control of the game for the Clippers.

He drove to the bucket and missed the shot, but got fouled. He hit both foul shots and put the Clippers up one 105-104 with 35.9 left.

The Nuggets then missed the shot to take the lead, but after Jordan got the rebound, he got fouled and was sent to the free throw line. He missed the first and made the second to put the Clippers up 107-105 with 23 seconds remaining.

Denver (14-6) then one last chance to tie, but Nene got called an offensive foul on a drive to tie the score, and the change of possession gave the ball back to the Clippers with 18.1 left. Paul then got fouled and made two foul shots and Denver missed its last-chance shot to end the game.

Billups finished with 32 points - including six of 12 from the 3-point line - and Paul had 25 points, seven assists and six rebounds. Blake Griffin added 17 points and grabbed 13 rebounds.

Nene led Denver with 18 points and Danilo Gaillineri had 17.

The Clippers return to Staples tomorrow to face Oklahoma City, which is the top team in the Western Conference, play in Utah on Wednesday

Nene hit two straight dunks turned a three-point deficit for Denver to a one-point lead with 47.3 seconds left.

The Clippers today recalled guard Eric Bledsoe from the Bakersfield Jam of the NBA Development League. Bledsoe, 22, appeared in two games with the Jam as he continues his rehabilitation from surgery to repair a torn lateral meniscus in his right knee. Bledsoe is with the Clippers in Denver and will be available for tonight's game against the Nuggets.

In two games with the Jam, Bledsoe averaged 12.5 points and 8.5 assists in 21.0 minutes per game.

The schedule has been relatively kind to the Clippers to start the season.

It is about to become unkind.

Beginning Sunday the Clippers will play 10 games in 16 days including three back-to-backs and one stretch in which they play on three consecutive nights.

Oh, and did I mention eight of those ten games are on the road?

If anyone is wondering why the Clippers played it so safe with Chris Paul, the upcoming schedule is why.

Paul could have come back earlier than he did, but the Clippers understood the importance of buying some time with him knowing the schedule was about to go from tough to ridiculously tough.

The Los Angeles Clippers today waived guard Courtney Fortson. He was signed by the Clippers on Jan. 16 and appeared in four games, averaging 4.3 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 11.2 minutes.

The 5-foot-11 guard scored a career-high 13 points on Jan. 17 vs. Utah.

Fortson was promoted from the D-League after Chris Paul injured his hamstring and then Paul returned the lineup Wednesday.

"They weren't that bad. But I don't know why their tops didn't match the bottoms."

The Clippers outscored Memphis 24-17 in the fourth quarter to win at Staples Center 98-91.

Blake Griffin led Los Angeles (10-6) with a near triple-double - 20 points, eight assists and nine rebounds - and Chris Paul almost had one too, with 18 points, seven assists and seven rebounds.

(Chris Paul tries to go around Mike Conley)

(Blake Griffin drives on Rudy Gay of the Grizzlies)

Marc Gasol got the Grizzlies as close as two points with under a minute to go, but then the Clippers clamped down. Caron Butler had a drive and a basket with 58 seconds left to get Los Angeles up four, then Paul had a steal and got fouled, which resulted in two free throws to get the advantage to six, 95-89.

Butler then hit a free throw and OJ Mayo tried a desperation 3-pointer, but missed and Gasol had another chance to score, but also missed.

DeAndre Jordan then hit a free throw and Griffin had another one that ended the game at 98-91.

Along with Griffin's and Paul's near triple-doubles, Jordan finished the game with nine points and nine rebounds and Butler added 17 points.

Rudy Gay led Memphis with 24 points and Gasol added 18 points and 11 rebounds.

(Head coach Vinny Del Negro in the press room)

With a little less than four minutes to go, the Clippers are leading 89-83 - in their powder blue, ABA-type uniforms.

Blake Griffin is working on a double-double so far - but with points and assists instead of his usual points/rebounds. He has 20 points and eight assists at the moment.

Mo Williams has 18 points off the bench for Los Angeles. Griffin leads the team with 20

By the way, the Clippers lead the league in Lob-type dunks - with 26.

Kevin Love hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Timberwolves the 101-98 win over the Clippers at Staples Center.

After Ricky Rubio tied the score at 98 with a 3-point shot with 20 seconds left, the Clippers (8-5) had one last chance to win.

Chauncey Billups got the inbounds pass and ran the clock down to a few seconds before he drove into the lane and shot, but it missed and the Wolves (7-8) got the rebound. A foul stopped the clock with 1.5 seconds left and Minnesota gained possession and the chance for the last shot.

Minnesota got to inbound the ball on their end of the court and the pass went to Love, who shot the three from far behind the line at the top of the key. DeAndre Jordan was defending him, but he got stuck behind a screen at the foul line, which delayed his covering Love, who was wide open.

Love finished the game with 17 points and 14 rebounds and Darko Milicic led Minnesota in scoring with 22 points and he grabbed seven rebounds.

(Kevin Love, in black, tries to pass over the Clippers' Blake Griffin)

Mo Williams, who was ejected from the game with three minutes left, led the Clippers with 25 points and Blake Griffin scored 21 and had 10 rebounds. Billups finished with 20 points and Randy Foye, starting in place of Chris Paul, added 12.

(Mo Williams drives into the lane for the Clippers)

Paul didn't play due to his hamstring injury, nor did Caron Butler, who hyperextended his knee in the game against Utah.

The Clippers next play Toronto at home on Sunday. Tipoff is at 12:30 p.m.

Caron Butler is out for tonight's game with a hyperextended knee. An MRI on his leg was negative and he will be listed as day-to-day.

He injured his knee in the Utah loss, but then played Wednesday night in the win over his old team, the Mavericks.

Ryan Gomes will start in place of Butler and Mo Williams will start again for Chris Paul, who is still out with a hamstring injury. Paul is tentatively scheduled to return on Sunday against Toronto.