After trailing by as many as 22 points in the first half, the Memphis Grizzlies
fought back but ultimately lost to the Los Angeles Clippers 112-106 on Friday
night at FedExForum. The Grizzlies dropped to 23-37 on the season and 14-16 at
home. The Clippers improved to 33-27 on the year and are now 17-15 on the road.
Mike Conley recorded his eighth double-double of the season, scoring 25 points
and handing out a game-high 10 assists. Conley has now logged nine double-digit
assist games this year. Joakim Noah logged his third double-double of the
season, coming off the bench to provide a season-high 22 points to go with 11
rebounds. Tonight’s performance was Noah’s highest-scoring effort since
finishing with 23 points on March 15, 2014 vs. Sacramento as a member of the
Chicago Bulls. Avery Bradley added 17 points and a pair of steals. Bradley has
now scored at least 15 points in three out of four games with the Grizzlies.
Ivan Rabb finished just shy of a double-double, scoring 15 points and grabbing
nine boards. Rabb was averaging 10.0 points and 6.6 rebounds in five games as a
starter entering tonight.
The Grizzlies shot their second-lowest field goal percentage of the year, going
just 33-for-90 (.367) from the field and 9-for-32 (.281) from three-point range.
The Clippers finished shooting 35-for-75 (.467) in the game, despite making only
6-of-25 (.240) triples. The Grizzlies won the turnover battle, forcing the
Clippers into 24 turnovers, scoring 26 points off them, while committing 11
giveaways which led to 11 points for Los Angeles. Both teams finished shooting
over 85 percent from the free throw line.
Montrezl Harrell matched his career-high with 30 points (11-14 FG) off the
bench, including 15 in the second quarter. Harrell also reached 30 points this
season against Houston on Oct. 26. Danilo Gallinari finished with 23 points
(12-12 FT) and eight boards. Lou Williams came off the bench to supply 18 points
and a team-high eight assists.
Memphis made adjustments coming out of the break, outscoring Los Angeles 33-18
in the third quarter. The Grizzlies made half their shots in the third, going
11-for-22 (3-6 3P) from the field, while keeping the Clippers to 7-of-19 (.368)
overall and just 1-of-7 (.143) from three. The Grizzlies went on a 12-0 run over
3:35 (8:56 to 5:21) to tie the game up at 72-72. A few minutes later, Bradley
sank a pair of free throws with 1:35 left in the quarter to give Memphis its
first lead, 82-80, since the 6:43 mark of the first quarter. Bradley would
finish with 13 points in the period to give the Grizzlies an 86-83 lead heading
into the final quarter.
Noah hit a pair of free throws to bring the Grizzlies within four, 108-104, with
24.3 seconds left in the game. With Memphis being forced to foul, Gallinari
connected on both free throws to push the lead back up to six with 13.4 ticks
remaining, putting the game out of reach.
The Grizzlies’ offense was strained in the first half, shooting 16-for-48 (.333)
from the floor and 4-for-15 (.267) from three-point range, and tallying only
eight assists, tying a season-low for assists in a first half. The Clippers went
20-for-38 (.526) in the opening half. The Grizzlies forced the Clippers into 13
first-half turnovers, tying a season-high by an opponent in a half, while
committing eight of their own in the half.
Memphis struggled to open the game, making just 7-of-25 (.280) shots, including
missing all five three-point attempts. The Clippers moved the ball well, going
14-for-22 (.636) from the floor and 3-for-7 (.429) from deep in the opening
quarter. Memphis made all nine free throw attempts in the period while Los
Angeles made all five of theirs. The Clippers used a 7-0 run from 5:09 to 3:21
(1:48 run), and outscored the Grizzlies 20-10 in the paint, to help build a
36-23 lead at the end of the quarter.
The Grizzlies will look to sweep the season series with the Cleveland Cavaliers
tomorrow, Saturday, February 23 in Quicken Loans Arena at 6 p.m. CT. Tune in to
FOX Sports Southeast presented by Pinnacle Financial Partners or listen on 92.9
FM ESPN to follow the action.
Fans who want to support the Memphis Grizzlies and purchase single-game tickets
can do so now by calling (901) 888-HOOP or going online to
grizzlies.com/tickets. Single Game Tickets are also available for purchase at
the FedExForum Box Office, ticketmaster.com, online at grizzlies.com/tickets or
by calling 1-800-4NBA-TIX. For more information on the Grizzlies, ‘like’ Memphis
Grizzlies on Facebook or follow on Twitter and Instagram (@memgrizz).
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Player: Avery Bradley
Player: Bruno Caboclo
Player: Jevon Carter
Player: Mike Conley
Player: Tyler Dorsey
Player: Justin Holiday
Player: CJ Miles
Player: Joakim Noah
Player: Chandler Parsons
Player: Ivan Rabb
Player: Delon Wright
Media Content: https://www.nba.com/grizzlies/news/postgame/lac-190222
Media Keywords: NBA, Sports, Memphis Grizzlies, Avery Bradley, Bruno Caboclo,
Jevon Carter, Mike Conley, Tyler Dorsey, Justin Holiday, CJ Miles, Joakim Noah,
Chandler Parsons, Ivan Rabb, Delon Wright, J.B. Bickerstaff, LA Clippers,
Memphis Grizzlies
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