Despite not having his star Ja Morant due to injury, the Memphis Grizzlies they passed this Saturday over Los Angeles Clippers (108-123) and achieved their eighth straight victory in a game that also lived Spanish duel between Santi Aldama and Serge Ibaka.
Aldama got 7 points (3 of 5 shooting), a rebound and a block in 20 minutes with the Grizzlies, while Ibaka did not have his afternoon (He went without scoring after missing his 2 shots) and grabbed 2 rebounds for the Clippers in 8 minutes.
Near the equator of the regular season, the Grizzlies have gone from being the sensation of the NBA as a revelation team to starting to emerge as a fearsome team for the “playoffs”.
In addition to Morant, undoubtedly one of the most explosive players of the moment, those of Memphis had other important losses like those of Kyle Anderson or Steven Adams.
Even so, the Grizzlies gave a very powerful and demanding basketball lesson to disarm some Clippers without answer and that in the last quarter they took out their reserves, already giving up the game for lost.
A brilliant Desmond Bane (23 points with 5 of 8 in triples, 7 rebounds and 4 assists in 29 minutes) was very well accompanied in the Grizzlies by Jaren Jackson Jr. (26 points and 8 rebounds also in 29 minutes).
Marcus Morris was with 29 points and 8 rebounds the offensive beacon of some already quite recognizable Clippers since, apart from Paul George and Kawhi Leonard, most of the players have already returned after encounters with many casualties.
Clippers, from more to less
The game began with the pivots exchanging blows: a Jaren Jackson Jr. who had to take center stage in the absence of Ja Morant, and an Ivica Zubac who was returning after the coronavirus.
However, it was Reggie Jackson, eager from the start, who shot the Clippers (13-4 with 9.24 left).
Marcus Morris took over from Jackson at the head of the Los Angeles team, which, despite the darts of Tyus Jones and Jaren Jackson Jr., had the score under control (22-15).
Serge Ibaka entered with the Clippers midway through the first quarter and shortly after, It was Santi Aldama’s turn with the Grizzlies, who was immediately paired with his compatriot.
Aldama highlighted as soon as he stepped onto the pitch: he tapped on his first offensive action and finished off an “alley-oop” when the possession of the Memphis came to an end.
In any case, the Grizzlies were burdened by their excessive complacency on defense and the Clippers, with 6 of 10 on triples, they closed the first quarter ahead (36-28).
The Clippers they bet in the second set for a low quintet without Ibaka or Zubac, and Nico Batum appreciated the approach with two triples practically in a row.
Far from being scared, the Grizzlies, one of the most athletic and physical teams in the NBA, matched the dynamism of their rivals and with an increasingly comfortable Desmond Bane they narrowed the score to the maximum (44-43 with 7.13 to be played).
Again with the pivots in action, Zubac and Jackson Jr. challenged each other in an interesting train wreck in which the one in Memphis prevailed.
In any case, the greater intensity of the visitors – the best example was a major “alley-oop” from Jackson Jr. to Melton – was crucial for crown a second set of absolute dominance by the Grizzlies (20-38) that allowed them to go to the locker room with an interesting advantage (56-66).
The Clippers lost 9 balls in the first half (the Grizzlies only one) who gave rise to 15 points from their rivals.
What’s more, the Memphis imposed their law in the area with 36 points in the first two quarters (16 by the Clippers in the paint).
Bane finishes off the show
The Angelenos radically changed their attitude in the resumption and they shaped a 6-0 run to regain their spirits.
But Bane took it upon himself to get them back on the mat immediately.
With 8 points in a row -including two triples-, Bane took back the helm of the game and made it clear to the Clippers that they would have to sweat a lot to be able to come back (62-74 in the absence of 9.04).
The meeting then entered quite a messy and messy phase with errors and mistakes in both sets.
This pace did not seem conducive to the Clippers (they lost by 15 points), but locals found their way thanks to a willful and very effective Marcus Morris (75-84 with 3.13 on the clock).
The forward continued with his display in attack until adding 14 points only in the third quarter, but a triple on the horn of Killian Tillie chilled the spirits of some Clippers that they had been put to only 6 points (84-94).
That’s where the Clippers ran out of gas.
With Bane in command of operations and Clarke and Williams as perfect accomplices, the Grizzlies posted a 2-11 run in just over two minutes (86-105 in the absence of 8.50) to draw an insurmountable difference.
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