The Los Angeles Clippers relied heavily on their new Big Three to pull off a narrow victory against the Memphis Grizzlies, winning 123-120 in a contest that remained competitive from the first tip until the final few minutes of play.
Memphis shot the ball very well, especially compared to Los Angeles; in fact, they outperformed Los Angeles from three-point range (Memphis: 16-43 for 37%; Los Angeles: 4-17 for 24%).
However, the Clippers were able to compensate for their lack of three-point shooting by getting to the basket with consistent success throughout the game, scoring 66 total points in the paint, and getting to the charity stripe, converting on 37-45 attempts.
The Clippers also controlled the boards, finishing with a 44-34 advantage in total rebounds, including 16 offensive rebounds, allowing themselves to get additional possessions on several different occasions.
In spite of the Grizzlies having moved the ball well (29 total assists), Los Angeles had multiple responses for every potential shift in momentum that the Grizzlies created.
Ultimately, the Clippers were able to hang on and secure a close win behind Kawhi Leonard‘s, Darius Garland‘s, and Bennedict Mathurin’s superb performances down the stretch.
1. Kawhi Leonard Led The Way With Elite Scoring Efficiency
Kawhi Leonard led the Clippers’ offense in a comfortable and efficient manner during this game, while also delivering one of the most effective scoring efforts.
Leonard scored 28 points on 8-15 (53.3%) shooting, and he consistently attacked the rim against the Memphis Grizzlies when they tried to defend him one-on-one. He was able to draw a significant amount of contact throughout the night, which resulted in him shooting 12-14 from the free-throw line.
In addition to finishing at the rim with regularity, Leonard also penalized Memphis’ overly aggressive defense while he drove to the basket.
Leonard grabbed five rebounds and had two steals, so he was also active around the rim on the defensive end of the floor.
Whenever Memphis attempted to cut the lead, Leonard consistently hit tough, mid-range jump shots or finished strong drives to the basket before getting fouled by the defense.
2. Darius Garland Controlled The Offense
Darius Garland was instrumental in ensuring the Clippers’ offense kept moving.
Garland scored 21 points with 6 assists, shot 8-20 and 3-8 from 3s. His speed with the ball helped him penetrate the Memphis defense and get scoring chances for himself and his teammates.
Garland’s shot wasn’t falling, but he continued to play aggressively.
His excellent passing ability gave Los Angeles many good shot opportunities and gave the offensive team good opportunities to move the ball to get out of the stagnation during the important moments.
3. Bennedict Mathurin Delivered A Huge Impact Off The Bench
Bennedict Mathurin was the player that the Clippers needed because he gave them scoring and rebounding from the bench. He scored 21 points and got 10 rebounds (6-15). He was very aggressive offensively and got himself a double-double from the free throw line, where he shot 9-9.
During the minutes that the starters were resting, he helped keep the Clippers offense active. During critical moments, he was a huge contributor to giving the Clippers extra possessions by collecting three offensive rebounds.
His aggressive style of play was the difference maker during a game in which the final score was the result of a single possession. The result of the game was a three-point score difference.
4. The Clippers Dominated The Free Throw Line
Although Memphis hit some deep shots, the Los Angeles Clippers took control of the other, more physical elements of the game.
At the end of the game, the Clippers had totaled 44 rebounds (including 16 offensive rebounds), and the Grizzlies had 34 rebounds total.
Isaiah Jackson had a big night inside for the Clippers with 12 points and 12 rebounds, 2 steals, and 1 block to go with the extra possessions for his team.
Also, the Clippers made the Grizzlies take even more difficult shots than they normally do and limited Memphis to just 48 points in the paint while they scored 66 points in the paint themselves.
5. Memphis’ Three-Point Shooting Nearly Carried Them
Although the Grizzlies lost the game, several of them had strong performances that put them almost on the verge of winning.
Ty Jerome was the leading scorer for the Grizzlies with 23 points and 7 assists, and was the main player attacking the defense and creating opportunities for the rest of his teammates. Jackson was also able to get 14 points and 7 rebounds, and there was also bragging from Olivier Prosper, who, with very leg shooting (4 for 5), scored 11 points.
Taylor Hendricks was great coming off the bench, scoring 18 points on 7 of 8 shooting, with 3 threes. Cedric Coward also had a great game with 15 points and 7 rebounds, and Cam Spencer had 12 points, including 2 threes.
The Grizzlies had a lot of good scoring opportunities and were able to shoot the ball really well from the three, which was able to keep them close to the Clippers. But the Clippers were so good in the paint that it made a really big impact on the game.
