Grizzlies edge past Clippers 84-83
Baron Davis missed a fall away jumper from the baseline in the final seconds, allowing the Memphis Grizzlies to escape with an 84-83 victory against the Los Angeles Clippers
at the Staples Center.
Big – Shots
Zach Randolph posted a team-high 18 points and 13 boards for Memphis. Marc Gasol recorded 17 points and pulled down eight rebounds, while O.J. Mayo added 13 points in
the win.
Eric Gordon did all he could and scored a game-high 25 points for the Los Angeles Clippers in the loss. Blake Griffin ended with 19 points and 11 boards, while Brian Cook
contributed 13 points for the Clippers.
Speed in Game
It was a one-point game when Baron Davis missed a golden opportunity and the visitors took full advantage of it to grind out their 10th victory of the season.
The Clippers began the game in blistering fashion and seemed to be in control. With three minutes to
go in the first quarter, Memphis failed to hit a field goal and Davis' buzzer-beating bucket gave the Clippers a 27-19 advantage. Los Angeles never trailed in the second quarter, and Brian
Cook's three-pointer near the end of first half gave the hosts a 47-41 lead at the interval.
Clipper’s Center-Forward Gasol’s three-point play tied the game at 51-all early in the third. However the Grizzlies never went ahead in the third, which ended with the
Clippers holding a slim 66-63 lead, heading into the fourth.
Gasol's lay-up in the early stages of the fourth quarter gave Memphis a 69-68 lead, and it was a close game the rest of the way. Late
in the fourth, Rudy g*y's dunk put Memphis in front by a single point at 80-79. Gordon’s two free throws made it a one-point game again, but once again Randolph’s Lay-up shot made it 84-81 with 46 seconds to go until the final buzzer.
With thirty seconds to go, Gordon took a full advantage of a Lay-up shot, but even then they fell short of their sixth victory of the season.
Point of no Return
The Clippers went ahead by seven points with over just over two minutes remaining in the third quarter, but the Clippers leading scorer Eric Gordon went to the bench with
his fourth foul shortly afterward. The Grizzlies outscored the Clippers 8-2 while Gordon was on the bench and got themselves back in the game.
Bitter-Pill
The root cause of Clipper’s loss are the season-high 27 turnovers they committed, including 19 in the second half, which were converted in to 30 points by the Grizzlies.
Quotable
"We need to buckle down and make sure we take care of the ball better."-- Blake Griffin.
"That's one of Baron's favorite shots, but that wasn't the shot we were looking for." -- Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro.
Shining Star
Memphis reserve guard Tony Allen scored all eight of his points, and had four steals in the fourth quarter, a big reason why the Grizzlies outscored Los Angeles 21-17
in the final 12 minutes.
Nasty Performance
Clippers point guard Eric Bledsoe was 0-for-5 from the field with no points and committed a team-high five turnovers.
Rudy g*y struggled for Memphis, scoring 12 points - nine below his average - and matched his season high with six turnovers.
Up-Next
The Clippers will face the Orlando Magic on Sunday, 12 December, 2010 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
The Grizzlies will hope to continue their winning run against the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday, 13 December, 2010 at the FedExForum.
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