Grizzlies-Clippers Preview

By JEFF MEZYDLO
Posted Jan 26 2012 2:47AM

With their longest winning streak in six seasons over, the Memphis Grizzlies were able to catch their collective breath and are ready to move forward.

The Grizzlies look to bounce back from their first defeat in two weeks when they visit Chris Paul and the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday night.

Playing their second straight game and fourth in five days, Memphis (10-7) struggled to find energy as its seven-game winning streak ended with a 97-84 loss at Portland on Tuesday. The Grizzlies, who averaged 102.0 points and shot 49.6 percent during that winning stretch, missed their first 12 shots of the third quarter en route to a 37.8-percent shooting performance for the night.

"We're fatigued, we're tired," coach Lionel Hollins said. "When you're a little bit fatigued it's hard to keep attacking. You want to settle. We settled a little too much."

O.J. Mayo scored 20 points off the bench while Memphis' starters were held to 36 points on 15-of-51 shooting. Rudy Gay, averaging a team-leading 18.4 points, was limited to 11.

The Grizzlies, who had a day off Wednesday to rest and regroup, don't plan to use fatigue as an excuse now or at any point during the rest of this condensed NBA season.

"We just have to continue to fight, and that's what we're going to do," veteran swingman Tony Allen told the Grizzlies' official website.

The Grizzlies, who last dropped two in a row during the three-game skid from Jan. 6-10 that preceded their winning streak, will try to avoid a third consecutive loss to the Clippers (9-6).

Gay has averaged 21.1 points on 52.6 percent shooting in 15 career games versus the Clippers, but a shoulder injury forced him to miss Memphis' final three meetings against them last season.

Mayo, the former USC star, has scored at least 20 points in two of the last three games overall, but he's totaled just 15 on 5-of-25 shooting in the last three against the Clippers.

Los Angeles looks to bounce back from a testy 96-91 loss to the rival Lakers on Wednesday that featured six technical fouls. Though Paul returned to the Clippers' lineup after missing five games with a sore hamstring, the Lakers used an 11-4 fourth-quarter run to finally take control of a game their Staples Center co-tenants led for almost all of the first 3 1/2 quarters.

Paul finished with just four points but had 12 assists in 26 minutes as coach Vinny Del Negro eased him back into action.

"I've been getting better day by day," Paul told the Clippers' official website. "(The team has) been trying to protect me from myself. I've been wanting to go for a while, but the team has been unbelievable, knowing what's in my best interest."

Paul was not at his best in his last two games against Memphis last season, totaling five points on 2-of-14 shooting while with New Orleans. Those outings came after he scored 43 in his first two contests against the Grizzlies in 2010-11.

Teammate Blake Griffin, who finished with 26 points and nine rebounds against the Lakers, had 31 and 10 boards in the Clippers' 110-103 home win over Memphis on April 13 in the teams' most recent meeting.

Clippers hold off Grizzlies for bounce-back win

By GREG BEACHAM
Posted Jan 27 2012 2:33AM

LOS ANGELES (AP) Just 16 games into their new partnership, Blake Griffin and Chris Paul are already capable of grinding out victories for the Los Angeles Clippers on nights when nothing seems to work properly.

They are both certain the Clippers will find their flow pretty soon.

Griffin scored 20 points, Paul added 18 points and seven assists in his second game back from injury, and the first-place Clippers hung on in the fourth quarter for a 98-91 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday night.

Mo Williams scored nine of his 18 points in the fourth quarter, and Griffin added nine rebounds and eight assists as the Clippers maintained a narrow lead throughout the final period despite feeling little cohesion on either end of the court.

"That's how we have to execute down the stretch," Griffin said. "It's a good win against a great team. We shouldn't be down on this win at all. They're not all going to be pretty."

Caron Butler scored 17 points, and Paul also had seven rebounds while playing back-to-back games after missing the previous five with a strained left hamstring. DeAndre Jordan had nine points and nine rebounds as the Clippers bounced back from Wednesday's contentious loss to the Lakers, dropping that rivalry game after holding the lead for nearly every possession of the first 3 1/2 quarters.

The Clippers' new nucleus is still learning how to respond to adversity, and Paul thinks this gritty win over a strong playoff contender should help.

"Sooner or later we're going to learn, because these little opportunities can slip away from you," Paul said. "We've got to build up as many wins as possible, and it feels good for me to be out there. I've got to keep the energy going. Every game means so much."

The Clippers stayed atop the Pacific Division even during Paul's absence, and they bounced back solidly from Wednesday's emotional loss to the Lakers, but a tougher schedule looms for a franchise with just one winning season in 19 years. No team in the Western Conference has played fewer games than the Clippers - including 11 in front of sellout home crowds.

Los Angeles did it this time with defense, holding the Grizzlies under 36-percent shooting and scoring 24 points off Memphis' 17 turnovers.

"We kept them at a low field-goal percentage, but they made us earn everything," Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro said. "I was pleased with the way we got stops at the end when we needed to. Different guys stepped up."

Rudy Gay scored 24 points for the Grizzlies, who have lost two straight following a seven-game winning streak. Marc Gasol added 18 points and 11 rebounds on Memphis' third stop on a four-game West Coast trip.

Gasol's two free throws trimmed the Clippers' lead to 91-89, but Butler hit a driving layup, and Paul made two free throws after a steal with 45 seconds left. Although Griffin didn't score in the fourth quarter, the Clippers scored seven consecutive points in the final minute to seal their third straight win over Memphis.

"None of it was their defense," Gay said. "It was us. I mean, they do have some long athletic big men that alter a couple of shots. But for the most part, we were getting good shots and just weren't knocking them down."

The Grizzlies had a day off after their loss in Portland on Tuesday in their fourth game in five days. Gay managed just 11 points against the Trail Blazers, but surpassed that well before halftime against the Clippers.

Paul made a four-point play during an early 11-0 run by the Clippers, who jumped out to a 27-11 lead late in the first quarter. Rudy Gay made a 50-foot shot at the first-quarter buzzer as the Grizzlies made a 14-0 run of their own, keeping it close into the fourth quarter.

"We couldn't get any stops down the stretch," Memphis coach Lionel Hollins said. "We were within three, and every time they came back down, they got it back to five. We never got a stop where we could get a chance to take the lead."

NOTES: Both teams wore throwback ABA uniforms. The Clippers dressed in the baby-blue-and-red gear of the Los Angeles Stars, while the Grizzlies sported the Memphis Tams' gold jerseys and green shorts. Starting in 1972, Charlie Finley dressed his newly purchased basketball team in the same colors worn by his Oakland Athletics and the NHL's California Golden Seals. ... Before the game, the Clippers assigned G Eric Bledsoe to the D-League's Bakersfield Jam in his comeback from a torn meniscus in his right knee. The second-year point guard was hurt during an offseason workout. ... Fans near courtside included Rihanna, Billy Crystal, "True Blood" actor Jim Parrack and David Justice.

Notebook: Clippers 98, Grizzlies 91

By Dan Arritt, for NBA.com
Posted Friday January 27, 2012 2:38AM

THE FACTS: Four players scored 17 points or more Thursday night as the Clippers rebounded from a physical loss to the Lakers the night before and defeated the visiting Grizzlies 98-91 at Staples Center.

QUOTABLE: "Different guys stepped up. It was a good team effort for us."
-- Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro.

THE STAT: Blake Griffin and Chris Paul, two of five All-Stars on the Clippers, each toyed with triple-doubles against Memphis. Griffin, who recorded a triple-double against the Grizzlies last season, finished with 20 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. Paul, in his second game back since missing five with a strained left hamstring, had 18 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.

TURNING POINT: The Grizzlies battled back from a 16-point deficit during the first quarter to even things up. The teams combined for 18 lead changes over the next two quarters before Clippers center DeAndre Jordan dunked a missed bank shot by Paul with one second left in third, giving the Clippers the lead for good, 74-72.

HOT: Clippers guard Mo Williams continues to be phenomenal off the bench. He scored 18 points and contributed a season-high four steals. Williams is averaging 22.2 points in the last five games, all as the sixth man. He played all 12 minutes in the final quarter, while starting guard Chauncey Billups sat out.

NOT: Memphis guard Mike Conley backed up his 3-for-13 performance Tuesday night in Portland with a 2-for-10 effort against the Clippers, scoring a season-low four points. He didn't score his first points until five minutes remained in the third quarter. The Grizzlies didn't receive much help from their other guards, as Tony Allen was 3-for-9 from the floor and O.J. Mayo was 5-for-19. For the Clippers, they were real sloppy with the ball early on, committing 14 turnovers in the first half, the most in any half this season. They cleaned up their act in the second half and committed just four giveaways.

GOOD MOVE: Memphis forward Rudy Gay sparked the 15-0 run that got the Grizzlies back in the game in the first half, swishing a 49-foot heave at the first-quarter buzzer. Paul had the most impressive basket for the Clippers, hitting a 3-point basket as he was fouled by Mayo, then sinking the free throw for a 23-11 first-quarter lead. It was the first four-point play of the season for the Clippers.

QUOTABLE II: "He just came back, so he hasn't practiced really, and we're just throwing him out in the game. I think Chris is still trying to get his rhythm back a little bit, but he's sure going to make a difference when he's out there, no question."
-- Vinny Del Negro on Chris Paul.

BAD MOVE: The Grizzlies had a difficult matchup with Marreese Speights on Griffin to start the game, but Speights committed two fouls in less than six minutes and played just eight minutes the entire game. The Grizzlies were forced to go small with Mayo, leaving Gay to guard Griffin. He gave away two inches in height and probably some of his energy on the offensive end of the floor.

NOTABLE: Paul had two steals, extending his NBA-leading streak of recording at least one steal to 20 consecutive games ... Conley came in leading the league in games with six-plus assists and multiple steals. He now has 13 after recording seven assists and four steals ... No team in the Western Conference has played fewer games than the Clippers (16).

UP NEXT: For the Clippers, Sunday @ Denver, Monday vs. Oklahoma City, Wednesday @ Utah. For the Grizzlies, Saturday @ Phoenix, Monday vs. San Antonio, Tuesday vs. Denver.

• Grizzlies: Arthur, Randolph
• Clippers: Bledsoe, Leslie

• Grizzlies: --
• Clippers: --

• Lead Changes: 19
• Times Tied: 14

• Arena: Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
• Officials: #43 Dan Crawford, #70 Brent Barnaky, #12 Violet Palmer
• Attendance: 19275
• Duration: 2:41