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Paul Leads Clippers Past Grizzlies, 97-79, In Memphis

Rowan Kavner

MEMPHIS - Chris Paul and the Clippers only needed to look back four days to remember the feeling they had leading after three quarters only to watch the Grizzlies walk away with the win on a late turnover.

Paul wasn’t going to let that happen again.

Once again, the Clippers led entering the fourth quarter on Friday night. Only this time, the lead was bigger and the script was flipped, as Paul scored 11 of his 19 points in the fourth and the Clippers turned a seven-point lead after three quarters into a 97-79 win.

“He was ready tonight,” head coach Doc Rivers said about Paul. “You could see that. He was focused. I don’t know who’s more competitive in our league; I know he’s right up there.”

The Clippers went on long runs, none more impressive than their 21-6 run to start the third quarter, and got timely defense all night to stifle a Grizzlies offense that averaged 100.1 points per game.

Paul said there wasn’t any particular speech that led to that start to the second half.

“Only thing that happened at halftime was I was playing 1-on-1 with Dahntay (Jones)’ son,” Paul said. “He got me going. Made a couple shots on him.”

Rivers liked how much better the Clippers played defensively in transition this time around throughout the night.

They held the Grizzlies to 37.9 percent shooting on the night to capture their first win in three matchups against Memphis this season, getting major contributions across the board.

“I thought, for the most part, they earned their baskets,” Rivers said. “When they made a shot, they made a shot. We had very few breakdowns defensively.”

Paul had 13 assists to go with his 19 points, DeAndre Jordan increased his streak to seven straight games with at least 15 rebounds by pulling down 22 rebounds and scoring 15 points, while Jamal Crawford and J.J. Redick combined for 37 points.  

With the Clippers already leading, 77-70, the Clippers went on a 9-0 run, with seven points coming from Paul. The Clippers still led by 12 points when the Grizzlies resorted to the hack-a-Jordan strategy, but Jordan hit 5-of-8 free throws during that timeframe to seal the deal for the Clippers, who led by as many as 19 points in the game.

Most nights, the Clippers won’t put any more emphasis on one win than another. But against the Grizzlies, there was some extra juice.

“When they beat us, they’re happier. When we beat them, we’re happier,” Rivers said. “It still only means one game, but I’m just really happy for our guys. We lost two games in a row where we played 40 minutes of good basketball and lost. Tonight, we played a good game throughout.”

The Grizzlies started the night 1-of-11 from the floor. The entire first half was all about defense for both teams, as the Clippers shot just 2-of-14 from 3-point range in the first half but held the Grizzlies to 38.1 percent shooting from the floor to go into halftime tied at 41.

Crawford scored seven straight points early in the second quarter and Paul finished the second with three straight buckets to put the Clippers in position to make a run in the third.

That’s exactly what they did with their 21-6 run to start the third, beginning with five straight points from Matt Barnes.

“Guys were hitting some crazy shots,” Jordan said. “We were able to get stops, came down and made those shots. That was a good stretch for us.”

The Grizzlies answered on an 8-0 run that was stopped on a long jumper from Glen Davis, as the Clippers started to settle in. For every run the Grizzlies had, the Clippers had an answer.

“They made a push, we were able to withstand it and get two or three big plays in a row,” Crawford said.

After the teams traded points, Crawford drilled a huge 3-pointer off a missed free throw to give the Clippers a 12-point lead. Memphis finished the quarter on a 5-0 run, but the third belonged to the Clippers, who outscored the Grizzlies by seven to head to the fourth with the lead.

The Clippers would cap it off this time around, snapping a two-game losing streak while handing the Grizzlies a two-game skid of their own.

“We did a great job coming out in the second half, and we didn’t look back,” said Glen Davis. “So proud of our team today. J.J., Chris being a leader out there, DeAndre, the way he played, it’s amazing, and we put a full game together. After the game, we looked at each other and said, ‘Hey, this is the way we’ve got to play.’”

NOTES: The Clippers allowed their second-lowest point total of the year … The lowest was against the Knicks on Dec. 31, allowing 78 points … The Clippers held the Grizzlies to seven fast-break points … The Clippers outrebounded the Grizzlies by six … The Clippers outscored the Grizzlies by 18 points in the second half … The Clippers will now travel to Chicago for a game against the Bulls on Sunday …