Blake Griffin leads Los Angeles Clippers to 110-103 win over the Memphis Grizzlies: NBA Recap
Blake Griffin’s second career triple-double powered the Los Angeles Clippers to a 110-103 win over the playoff-bound Memphis Grizzlies at Staples Centre on Wednesday night. Griffin finished an impressive game with 31 points, 10 boards and 10 assists.
An excited Griffin told reporters after the game, "I didn't plan on getting one (triple-double) tonight. I swear I didn't mean to miss that last shot. I turned and I was going to throw the ball out. I just took the shot and it came off and I had to tip it
in."
Even though the Clippers failed to make it into the post-season, they ended their three-game losing streak and finished the season on a high note.
The Clippers tipped-off aggressively and raced to an early 11-0 lead, with Griffin scoring 10 points. The Grizzlies failed to recover from their poor start, as the Clippers led by 34-20 going into the second quarter after shooting a sizzling 63.6 percent
from the field. During the period Griffin posted 13 points for the Clippers.
The momentum didn’t swing in the second quarter too, as the Clippers shot 70 percent from the field and 80 percent from the paint. They outplayed the Grizzlies 32-17 to take a commanding 66-37 lead at half time. The Clippers’ Eric Bledsoe tallied 13 points
in the second quarter.
Despite trailing by 29 points at the start of the second half, Memphis came out strongly in a bid to reduce the deficit. However, they failed to restrict the Clippers attack, who kept making inroads into their brittle defence. The Clippers held a comfortable
92-74 lead over the Grizzlies after the third quarter.
Though the Clippers had a sizeable lead at the start of the fourth quarter, they became complacent and threw away a 20-point lead. The Grizzlies made a late rally down the stretch and slashed the lead to single-digits at 100-95. However, it was too little
too late for Memphis, as the Clippers held on for a seven-point victory.
Eric Gordon scored 24 points while DeAndre Jordan finished with 14 points and 10 boards for the Clippers, who missed the playoffs again with a dismal 32-50 record this season.
Sam Young led Memphis with a team-high 22 points, while Greivis Vasquez scored 17 points. The Grizzlies rested starters Tony Allen, Mike Conley and Zach Randolph ahead of the playoffs, as they made it to the post-season for first time since 2005-06.
After the game Memphis coach Lionel Hollins said, "We've already talked about the playoffs and preparation and getting ready for the playoffs. This game meant nothing."
However, this loss cost them seventh spot in the Western Conference, as they have now slipped to eighth. So to confirm their berth in the playoffs the Grizzlies need to play well against the top-seeded San Antonio Spurs in their next game.
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