Memphis Grizzlies take game-2; level series against Los Angeles Clippers with 105 – 98 victory – NBA Recap - Part 2
A fast start to the second half saw Los Angeles Clippers close the gap to just 1 point at 51 – 50. The Grizzlies however weren’t in the mood to relinquish their lead, and moved ahead with 4 quick points, 55 – 50. The rest of the third frame was spent with
Los Angeles chasing the Grizzlies in vain, as Memphis remained ahead when it ended at 75 – 69.
The Clippers had mounted an unbelievable comeback in the last quarter of game-1 and the Grizzlies were determined not to let them off the hook this time around. Memphis were physical and ruthless in the final 12 minutes, increasing their lead to double digits
with 7:16 on the clock; 89 – 79.
Los Angeles looked out of the game after a 6 – 0 burst by the home side that took them to 97 – 84. The Clippers weren’t able to get a concerted run together and Memphis saw out the game at 105 – 98.
Star point guard Chris Paul led the Clippers with game high 29 points. Paul also had 6 assists and 5 steals for the side from Los Angeles. Blake Griffin was also on song as he netted 22 and hauled down 9 boards.
No other Clippers player though was able to make a significant enough impact. Mo Williams and Nick Young got into double digits as they netted 11 points each coming off the bench.
The Clippers were actually much better than the Grizzlies in terms of shooting; connecting on 56.7 percent from the field and 56.2 percent from beyond the arc. Memphis managed 48 percent from the field and just 16.7 percent from downtown. They did however
have a significant advantage on the glass, outrebounding their opponents 37 – 28, a whopping 16 – 4 on the offensive glass.
The Clippers also struggled with turnovers, a whopping 21 in total. Centre DeAndre Jordan believed that was a key reason for their loss.
"We felt like we should have won the game tonight," Jordan said. "Our turnovers, we gave them 25 points off our turnovers. You can't win a game like that. We definitely feel confident going home with a split, but in reality we should have two games right
now."
Chris Paul took responsibility for the high turnover rate as the team’s chief playmaker. He said he will look to reduce the number and take better care of the ball.
"I've got to figure out how to get them off of me," Paul said. "Some of them were just bad passes and stuff like that, but when you're getting in the lane and it's the playoffs, they're going to let you play and they're going to let them grab and hold and
stuff like that."
Game 3 of the series will now be played in Los Angeles.
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