Marc Gasol is emerging as one of the NBA’s most dominant centers and his Sunday evening effort of 30 points – two points shy of his career high – and 12 rebounds only bolstered his case.
The Grizzlies remained undefeated (8-0) at home by defeating the Los Angeles Clippers 107-91 at FedExForum. The victory extended Memphis’ franchise-record 22 consecutive regular season home game winning streak dating back to Feb. 11, 2014 vs. Washington.
Gasol came out of the gate a man on a mission and recorded the Grizzlies’ highest first-half individual scoring output (20 points) since the Jan. 25, 2013 contest vs. Brooklyn where he notched 20 points in the first half. Gasol’s 30-point performance tonight marks his eighth 20-plus point game of the 2014-15 season, already tying his eight achieved in 59 appearances last season. It’s also his fourth career game with 30-plus points and third in the first 14 games this season.
The Grizzlies made their presence more than felt on the defensive end, breaking the Clippers’ nine-game streak (fourth longest in Los Angeles Clippers history) 100-plus point road games. Memphis also held Los Angeles’ superstar Blake Griffin to just 12 points on 5-of-17 shooting (11 points below his 2014-15 average).
Memphis continued to showcase it’s depth as six Grizzlies players scored in double-digits, including Courtney Lee (13) Tony Allen (12), Quincy Pondexter (11), Beno Udrih (11), and Zach Randolph (10). This marks the 11th occasion four or more Grizzlies players have scored in double-digits in 14 matchups this season.
In a game that felt in control from the opening tip, the Grizzlies led by as many as 25 points in the second half which included a 15-6 run to open the fourth period capped by three consecutive three-point shots from Pondexter, Lee and Jon Leuer to make the score 103-78.
Chris Paul led all Clippers scorers with 22 points (7-of-13 FG) and added five assists and five rebounds.
The Grizzlies will head to the West coast as part of a four-game road trip to face the Lakers (Nov. 26), Trail Blazers (Nov. 28) and Kings (Nov. 30) before making their final stop in Houston to take on the Rockets on Dec. 3. The Grizzlies will return to FedExForum on Dec. 5 when the defending World Champion San Antonio Spurs come to Memphis for a Friday night battle at 7 p.m. (CT).
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Key Stat
- Memphis outscored Los Angeles 52 -32 in the paint and won the rebounding battle 52-32.
Key Run of the Night
- After Chris Paul’s driving lay-up cut the lead down to eight (78-70) with 1:47 remaining in the third quarter, Memphis went on a 10-2 run to end the quarter with a 16-point lead (88-72) … The Grizzlies led by as many as 25 in the second half.
Highlights
Player Notes
- Marc Gasol led all scorers on the floor with a game-high 30 points (13-of-18 FG), his fourth career 30-point effort and third in 14 games this season… Gasol recorded consecutive 30-point games for the first time in his career… Gasol tied a career high with 32 points on Nov. 21 vs. Boston.
- Gasol is averaging 28.0 points and 10.7 rebounds on 34/56 shooting (.607) in the last three games… Gasol has scored 20+ points in eight games this season… In 2013-14 he scored 20+ points a total of eight times in 59 games played.
- Zach Randolph (10 points and eight rebounds) has now scored in double-digits in every Grizzlies game this season.
- Tony Allen (12 points), Courtney Lee (13 points), Beno Udrih (11 points) and Quincy Pondexter(11 points) all combined for 47 of the team’s points.