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Derrick Jones Jr. of the Clippers and Johnny Davis of the Grizzlies vie for a loose ball in the first half. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
What started as a back-and-forth battle between the Clippers, who have one of the NBA’s best defenses, and the Memphis Grizzlies, who have the league’s top offense, was decided by the Clippers’ 36-point third quarter, which led them to a 128-114 victory Wednesday night at the Intuit Dome.
The Clippers, led by Kawhi Leonard and James Harden, saw their lead surge to as many as 23 points in the third, too great for the Grizzlies, who were playing without Ja Morant.
Leonard played a season-high 34 minutes, scoring 25 points with five rebounds and four assists. Harden added a near triple-double, scoring 18 points with 10 assists and eight rebounds.
A three-pointer in the third quarter gave Harden his 26,974th point, moving him into sole possession of 13th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list, surpassing Hakeem Olajuwon.
Norman Powell steals the ball from Luke Kennard in the second half. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
While the Grizzlies entered the game boasting the highest-scoring offense in the league (123.5 ppg), they were without their superstar point guard, forcing them to look elsewhere for offense. The two-time All-Star, who averages 20.7 points, 7.4 assists, and 4.3 rebounds, was ruled out just before tipoff because of knee soreness.
This absence proved to be the Grizzlies’ downfall, as the Clippers — ranked third in points given up per game (107.8) and steals (9.4) — took advantage of bad matchups and stifled Memphis’ offense.
One of the league’s top defensive teams, the Clippers had 17 steals, forced 21 turnovers and scored 41 points off them, all of which played a significant role in keeping the Grizzlies below their season average.
Before the game, Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said he would insert guard Kris Dunn into the starting lineup to alleviate the pressure the Grizzlies presented on offense. This move was a boost for the Clippers, with Dunn — who replaced Derrick Jones Jr. — delivering his largest scoring output of the season.
Dunn finished…
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Author : LA Times
Publish date : 2025-02-13 06:17:00
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