Los Angeles Clippers look to close series Friday night against Memphis Grizzlies – NBA Preview
The Los Angeles Clippers will take on the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night at the Staples Center in Game 6 of their first round playoff series.
The Grizzlies came alive in Game 5 and took the series back to Los Angeles with a crucial win Wednesday night. Memphis entered the game facing elimination down 3-1 in the series. With the win, they kept their
hopes of advancing alive but they need to win again on Friday night to force a game 7 back in Memphis.
Memphis had a point to prove coming into game 5 and they did just that. Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol both had big nights with Randolph scoring 19 points and Gasol going for 23. The Grizzlies did a good job on
Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, reducing them to a combined 34 points. In addition to that, Paul had only 4 assists for the night. Mo Williams came off the bench to score 20 points for the Clippers but their game plan had been uprooted owing to good defense
by the Grizzlies.
For the Grizzlies, Marc Gasol holds a great deal of importance and their chances of success are heavily dependent on his play. Gasol is averaging 12.8 points 6.6 rebounds per game this series. His season average
is 14.6 points and 8.9 rebounds. In game 5, Gasol was at his best which helped the Grizzlies clinch the win. Rudy g*y is having a good series scoring 20.2 points per game but he is also most effective when the big men are at their best. Tony Allen has also
not made a significant mark yet in the series and needs to play his role well and provide the support at the guard position.
On the other hand, the Clippers have a very solid recipe for success which relies heavily on Blake Griffin and Chris Paul. Both have been having their way so far in the series, but fell short in game 5 due to
injuries suffered by both players in the game. Griffin is averaging 20.2 points in the series while Chris Paul is averaging 22.6 points and 7.8 assists. The troubling aspect to the Clippers roster is DeAndre Jordan. He is averaging a dismal 3.6 points and
4.4 rebounds per game in this series. His lacklustre performance has resulted in more playing time for Kenyon Martin. But he needs to step up if the Clippers want to hold off Memphis.
The Grizzlies have momentum on their side after game 5. They played according to their game plan and even though the scoreboard might not show so, they dominated the game. It was a physical affair and the Grizzlies
big men Gasol and Randolph stepped up to the challenge and made their presence left.
Game 6 will be in Los Angeles so that Clippers will have home court advantage. But they might be playing with an injury weakened roster as both Blake Griffin and Chris Paul are game time decisions. For the Grizzlies,
their key to success is their physical presence inside the paint through Gasol and Randolph. For the Clippers, all lies on the shoulder of Chris Paul as even Griffin is lost without Paul guiding him.
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