National Basketball Association
L.A. Clippers 94, Memphis 92
When: 10:30 PM ET, Monday, November 9, 2015
Where: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
Officials:
#25 Tony Brothers, #26 Pat Fraher, #72 J.T. Orr
Attendance:
19060
By The Sports Xchange
LOS ANGELES -- Marc Gasol offered no excuses. His missed free throws in the final seconds Monday night cost the Memphis Grizzlies a win over the Los Angeles Clippers.
"That's basketball, that's life," said Gasol, the Grizzlies All-Star center. "You fall down, you get up and get back at it. It's just that simple."
Forward Blake Griffin scored 24 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, leading the Clippers to a 94-92 victory over Memphis at Staples Center.
Guard J.J. Redick had 16 points as the Clippers (5-2) ended a two-game skid. Point guard Chris Paul returned after missing Saturday's loss to the Houston Rockets with a sore right groin, and he scored 14 points. Center DeAndre Jordan had 13 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks.
Forward Zach Randolph scored 26 points and pulled down nine rebounds for Memphis, which dropped its third in a row. Gasol had 18 points, while point guard Mike Conley added 16 points, five assists and six rebounds for the Grizzlies (3-5).
"The game was more at our pace," said Gasol, who connected on five of eight field-goal attempts and eight of 12 free throws. "At the end, I think we made a couple of mental mistakes defensively."
The Clippers seemed to have the game wrapped up when Redick was fouled by guard Tony Allen on a 3-point attempt with 13.3 seconds remaining. Redick made all three attempts, boosting Los Angeles to a 90-86 cushion.
However, Paul fouled former Clippers forward Matt Barnes on a 3-pointer on the following possession. Barnes canned all three foul shots to pull Memphis within 90-89 with eight seconds remaining.
Guard Jamal Crawford, who finished with 13 points, hit a pair of free throws with 7.6 seconds left, giving the Clippers a three-point lead.
Gasol missed one of two free throws with 6.6 seconds remaining, cutting the deficit to 92-90. However, Crawford managed just one of two on the other end to push the lead to three with 5.9 seconds remaining.
Gasol made the first of two foul shots with 4.7 seconds left but missed the second. Gasol then was fouled by Redick with 3.5 seconds to go, giving him a shot to tie the score. He made the first free throw but missed the second, allowing the Clippers to prevail. Paul added a free throw for the final point.
"We were fortunate," Griffin said. "We did not do a good job of taking care of the lead down the stretch, and we gave them the opportunity to at least tie the game."
Clippers coach Doc Rivers was pleased his club beat the Grizzlies playing Memphis' game.
"I thought we had a chance, though, to get the tempo up a couple of times, and we just could never get it up," Rivers said. "Once you get in that type of game, you just have to try and win that game."
A 3-pointer by former Barnes and a follow of a Barnes miss by Conley gave Memphis a brief 81-80 lead with 4:11 remaining in the game. It initiated a series of lead changes down the stretch.
Griffin's bucket inside lifted the Clippers to a one-point advantage 50 seconds later.
Allen's layup put Memphis up 85-84 with 1:39 left. A free throw by Conley made it a two-point lead, but Redick's 3-point jumper gave the Clippers an 87-86 edge with 55.1 seconds left.
"It's tough. We have to take positive from it," said Randolph, who hit 12 of 19 shots from the floor and also had three steals. "We still had a chance to win. We played Grizzlies basketball. I think if we keep playing like that, we will get back to our old selves and the way we play."
NOTES: Grizzlies F Matt Barnes, who had eight points and six rebounds in the loss while facing his former club for the first time, had bittersweet memories about the Clippers. "It's always added incentive when you play your former team, (particularly when) things didn't go how you liked," said Barnes, who added that Clippers PG Chris Paul and his son attended a birthday party for Barnes' twin boys on Sunday. ... Just as Grizzlies general manager Chris Wallace did over the weekend, Memphis coach Dave Joerger dismissed speculation his job was in jeopardy because of the team's slow start. "It comes with the territory, but if it was at all true, it would be one thing,' Joerger said. ... Both clubs resume play Wednesday. The Grizzlies host the Golden State Warriors, while the Clippers visit the Dallas Mavericks.
Top Game Performances
Memphis |
|
L.A. Clippers |
Zach Randolph 26 |
Scoring |
Blake Griffin 24 |
Mike Conley 5 |
Assists |
Chris Paul 4 |
Zach Randolph 9 |
Rebounds |
Blake Griffin 12 |
Marc Gasol 8 |
Free Throws Made |
Jamal Crawford 8 |
Courtney Lee 3 |
Steals |
Austin Rivers 2 |
Matt Barnes 2 |
Blocks |
DeAndre Jordan 4 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
Memphis
|
92 |
43.8 |
2-11 |
20-29 |
21 |
40 |
3 |
11 |
14 |
L.A. Clippers
|
94 |
41.2 |
5-19 |
33-37 |
14 |
40 |
8 |
5 |
18 |
Upcoming Games
-
L.A. Clippers will play their next game on the road against Dallas. The Clippers have a W/L % of .800 after a win and .500 after a loss.
-
Memphis will play their next game at home against Golden State. The Grizzlies have a W/L % of .333 after a win and .400 after a loss.