The Los Angeles Clippers came into Sunday’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies with a pair of road wins in Florida against the Orlando Magic and Miami Heat. However, the top seeded Grizzlies were a tough matchup for the Clippers, as they lost 107-91.
Marc Gasol got out to another fast start, scoring 12 points in the first quarter. For the Clippers, Matt Barnes started out on fire, putting in nine first quarter points, but he would not score thereafter.
The Clippers hung in close after the first quarter, but their bench failed to find any offensive rhythm in the second quarter. The Clippers started the second quarter with zero field goals in the first three minutes and 22 seconds. The Grizzlies outscored Los Angeles 27-19 in the second period to take a 13-point lead into intermission.
During the third quarter, the Clippers finally got it going offensively, but they gave up plenty of points defensively. Still, they cut the lead to eight points with 1:47 left in the third, but the Grizzlies went on a 10-2 run to close the period and built a 16-point lead.
The fourth quarter was mostly garbage time, as the Grizzlies extended their lead to 25 and put away the game.
Gasol had a magnificent game, finishing with 30 points, 12 rebounds, and two blocks on 13-of-18 shooting. His frontcourt mate, Zach Randolph had a quiet game with 10 points and eight rebounds. Courtney Lee was the second highest scorer for Memphis with 13 points, as Beno Udrih and Quincy Pondexter came off the bench to score 11 apiece.
Blake Griffin had a miserable game, and that’s usually the case against the Grizzlies frontcourt for Griffin. He only put in 12 points on 5-for-17 shooting to go along with four rebounds, three assists, and four turnovers. DeAndre Jordan was awfully quiet too, with just two points and three rebounds.
Chris Paul, J.J. Redick, and Jamal Crawford were the only ones to have great games, as Paul scored 22 points, dished out five assists, grabbed five boards, and came away with four steals. Crawford poured in 19 points off the bench, and J.J Redick chipped in with 15 points, including 3-of-6 from downtown.
This was a good measuring stick for the Clippers. They built some momentum against two teams they were supposed to beat in Florida but got the ultimate test in this one and failed. This game proved that the Clippers have a lot of work to do, especially on the defensive end. For the Grizzlies, it was just another day in the office, as they captured their 12th win of the season.
The Grizzlies are now 12-2 on the season, as the Clippers fall to 7-5. Memphis will get a couple of days off before they play the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday, November 26. The Clippers continue their road trip tomorrow, November 24, against the struggling Charlotte Hornets.