Grizzlies surprise Clippers
The base reserves Tyus jones emerged as a winning surprise factor by contributing 20 points, his best professional mark, which left him in front of the attack of the Memphis Grizzlies who prevailed clearly by 122-94 against the Los Angeles Clippers. Jones, who made 9 of 11 shots from the field, including 2 of 3 triples, topped the list of six players, including the Grizzlies' five starters, who had double-digit numbers. Jones' previous record was 19 points against the Dallas Mavericks, on February 5, 2020.
Guard Dillon Brooks added 19 points as the second leading scorer for the Grizzlies (14-14), who snapped a two-game losing streak. Brooks returned to the starting lineup after missing three games with right thigh pain. Lithuanian center Jonas Valanciunas and point guard Ja Morant each had 16 in support of the Grizzlies attack. Valanciunas also imposed his dominance in the inside game adding 15 rebounds, which allowed the Clippers' tall men, led by the Spanish Congolese center Serge Ibaka, to win the duel.
The Grizzlies, who were limited to 15 and 13 points in the first quarter of the last two previous games, this time they scored 24 points against the Clippers. But defense would be the other key to the victory of the Grizzlies by controlling the star forwards, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, who finished the game without being a winning factor. Leonard barely reached 17 points with seven assists, while George was worse with 13 points, including 6-6 that he obtained from the personnel line that made up his contribution, since he missed 9 of 12 field goals, including 3 of 4 triples.
Ibaka finished the match with 13 points after playing 23 minutes and being the most effective of the Clippers after scoring 5 of 7 shots from the field, including 3 of 4 triples. He also grabbed seven rebounds from under the hoops, including six defenders, fumbled and fouled.
The Grizzlies, who lead the league in points in the paint, focused on that factor in the first half.
While the Clippers are one of the strongest teams in the third quarter, Memphis extended its lead to 17 in that period, keeping shots from the field above 55%. Memphis managed to contain a couple of comeback attempts by the Clippers and take a partial 89-75 advantage in the third quarter, which would be decisive.
When the Clippers cut the lead to 92-83 with 10 minutes to go, Memphis responded with a 12-2 run and a 104-85 run with 6:27 left to play, securing their victory.
The Clippers, after using 12 different lineups For various reasons, guard Patrick Beverley, Leonard, George, French forward Nicolas Batum and Ibaka have returned to the headlines in the last four games, splitting wins and losses to make their overall mark at 23-11. .
The Clippers they missed their first eight triple attempts after having had at least 50% in attempts from outside the perimeter in the previous eight games.
The Grizzlies scored 42 points in the paint at halftime, their 76th straight game in which they had at least 40, the longest streak since the NBA began tracking play-by-play data in 1996-97. They finished the night with 72.
The 28-point margin achieved by the Grizzlies was the largest of all time over the Clippers..
Both teams will meet again tomorrow, Friday, on the same stage at the FedExForum in Memphis.
