Escape From LA
Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley strips the ball away from Clippers J.J. Redick
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
LOS ANGELES – Post All-Star break has been great so far for the Memphis Grizzlies. Two nights ago in Portland, Memphis clamped down on a LaMarcus Aldridge-less Trailblazers 98-92 in grit-and-grind fashion. And then the Grizzlies (41-14) took their talents to Los Angeles where they escaped late from the Clippers (37-20) 91-88 on back-to-back nights to start off the second half of the season 2-0.
So for the second straight night the Grizzlies were able to pick up two impressive wins over two playoff teams in the ever so tough Western Conference of the NBA. And this is not the last time these two teams will meet. Memphis and the Clips will hook up for another wild wild, west tilt – this time in Memphis on Friday, but as for this game it was playoff intensity throughout. Multiple lead changes, players diving for loose balls all night, and coaches calling timeouts after four-point leads.
Memphis was able to pretty much keep the Clippers’ starting five under wraps – with the exception of Chris Paul. He led all scorers with 30 points and 10 assists, but wasn’t able to receive much help from anyone else in the lineup. Sixth-man extraordinaire Jamal Crawford chipped in with 15 points off the bench for Los Angeles. The Clippers fall to 4-2 without the injured Blake Griffin, while conversely the Grizzlies are on a roll – having won four in a row overall and 15-3 since the acquisition of swingman Jeff Green.
Point guard Mike Conley led Memphis with 18 points, seven assists and two steals. Marc Gasol controlled the paint with a solid 14 points, six rebounds, four assists and three blocks. Jeff Green scored nine of his 16 points from three-point range, to go along with six rebounds.
Up next for Memphis is another game on the road. They travel up the coast of California to take on former teammate Rudy Gay and the Sacramento Kings. Tipoff is this Wednesday at Sleep Train Arena at 9pm (CT).
Grizzlies-Clippers highlights:
