The LA Clippers fell short of completing their comeback once again, falling to the Memphis Grizzlies, 120-114. This time though, they needed their comeback after blowing an early lead. Read on for a full game recap of Clipper vs. Grizzlies:
Summary
The defense isn’t there yet; Paul George is a capital-S Superstar; Ja Morant is getting there too; the bench still has punch; and more. Here’s what you need to know:
— The book on defending the Memphis Grizzlies is simple. Keep them out of the paint, keep them off the glass, and keep them in the half-court. The Clippers only managed that for the first quarter, and once the young Grizzlies got their hands in the cookie jar, there was no keeping them from it.
After a perimeter-oriented start put them in a 13-point hole, Ja Morant and crew began sailing to the basket, pouring in 44 points in the paint and pulling down all 13 of their offensive rebounds across the final three quarters. Morant was the tip of the spear, scoring a team-high 28 points and earning a team-high eight free-throw attempts. He was as weightless as he was explosive.
Morant, De’Anthony Melton, and others took turns drawing the Clippers’ various centers away from the paint. To Ty Lue’s consternation, there were few men in blue willing or able to cover the gap. That Steven Adams managed five offensive rebounds should’ve been no surprise. That Kyle Anderson managed three was.
The Clippers’ inability to record a stop resulted in both their downfall and their ultimate demise. In the second and third quarters, they allowed a 72-point offensive blitz their mostly tepid offense couldn’t counter. In the final quarter, it kept the game’s tipping point just beyond their reach. The Clippers found better defensive execution in the final minute, only for Desmond Bane to snap it with a bailout jumper before Jaren Jackson Jr. iced it with a dagger three.
That the Grizzlies consistently made their threes was to add a broken nose to a gut punch. Memphis owned the land and the skies, converting 15 of their 36 treys on a night where the Clippers’ 33% three-point rate wasn’t enough to pass muster. Melton and Bane sank four each, with Jackson Jr. adding three to join Melton and Morant with 20-plus points.
— Paul George is off to a flying start. The Clippers’ star followed up his 29-point outing with a 41-point outburst, 27 of which came after halftime, adding 10 rebounds and four assists while draining five threes for the second consecutive game.
More crucial was George’s feel for the moment. He took the offense’s reins to shoot the Clippers back into arm’s reach after a horrendous third quarter, then nearly capped off the comeback with a sensational final minute. He can shoot from anywhere and finish under withering pressure. George showed off his entire arsenal, and the officials even rewarded him with his first free throw attempts of the season.
— The Clippers’ bench primacy has continued into the 2021-22 season. Each of Ty Lue’s four reserves finished the contest with a positive plus-minus. (Reggie Jackson, who played heavy minutes with the bench, was the only starter to avoid a minus-rating in double digits.)
Isaiah Hartenstein made his season debut to great applause. He scored 11 points in 16 minutes, putting in nine in a row for the Clippers in the early second quarter.
Luke Kennard remained aggressive, scoring 10. Nicolas Batum made his welcome return, earning 23 minutes.
Terance Mann recorded a team-high plus-15 in 26 minutes, and his place in the team’s closing five proves his worth, but this one wasn’t his best effort. Mann made just one of his eight field goals and coughed up a critical turnover that flipped the Clippers’ end-of-third-quarter two-for-one to Memphis’ favor.
— Eric Bledsoe has wasted no time demonstrating that last year’s swoon was an aberration. Ignore his unsightly shooting line. Bledsoe was everywhere, deflecting passes, drawing charges, and rumbling across the open floor.
That Bledsoe plays differently than Patrick Beverley makes him no less of a tone-setter. His contribution to the fourth-quarter near-comeback was second only to George’s. His team-high seven assists evince his already heavy role in the offense. He also did this:
What a block by EB.
— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) October 24, 2021@BallySportWest | @EBled2 pic.twitter.com/ab5TGk20SK
— Steven Adams is Memphis’ multi-tool. His rebounding is stout, which you already knew. But he can pass too. The Grizzlies’ new center dished five assists, second only to Ja on the night. Also, Adams didn’t tally a block but snatched two steals. He was central to a starting lineup that swamped its LA counterpart. Memphis has a new look, and it’s the same as their old look.
Thanks for reading this recap of the Clippers loss to the Grizzlies. Stay on the lookout for more game coverage and analysis and an episode of TLTJTP soon.
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