Clippers avoid Beale Street bear trap, muzzle Grizzlies to win 25th game
Paul George’s 37 points help Clippers withstand Memphis 3-point barrage.
On a night where it could have been easy to foresee a hiccup against a team missing a couple of key players, the LA Clippers took care of business in large part thanks to the exploits of Paul George.
The Clippers knocked off the Memphis Grizzlies, 128-119, as the veteran poured home a game-high 37 points in 35 minutes to aid the Clippers and keep their good times rolling.
George scored 20 of his 37 in the second half, including 15 in the fourth quarter as the Clippers built as much as a 23-point lead before Memphis rallied late to make the scoreline more respectable.
“Letting him come off screens, catch-and-shoot,” said Clippers coach Tyronn Lue to reporters in Memphis when asked postgame about George being more involved offensively.
“[There are] different situations where a single side tags [the roller] and he’s benefited from the passes. With James Harden and the way he orchestrates the game and makes the right passes and reads, the guys are going to get a lot of wide-open shots. PG is in a great rhythm right now — 10 threes [attempted] again tonight. I wish he would take about three or four more. The way he’s shooting the basketball, the way we’re getting better with our spacing offensively — just going from there.”
George’s fourth-quarter flurry put this game out of reach, even with the Grizzlies’ attempted comeback. George scored 13 consecutive points for the Clippers over a two-and-a-half-minute span that saw the Clippers grow the lead from 15 to 20 before the white flag was hoisted.
Forward Kawhi Leonard, as he is wont to do, had another efficient night. Leonard finished with 22 points on 10-for-16 shooting while adding seven rebounds and four assists. Leonard scored 11 of his 22 in the third quarter as he took over to propel the Clippers into a 21-point lead heading to the fourth.
“A sign of a good team — or a team that wants to win a championship is your ultimate goal — you’ve got to be able to win pretty, win ugly, win whatever is in between there,” said Lue after the game.
“You’ve got to be able to win games like that. It’s not going to be a perfect game every single night. We understand that. But we still have to build all the concepts that we’re working on both offensively and defensively and do those things every single night. Then, you can live with the results.”
The result pushed the Clippers to 25-13 on the season, still in fourth place in the Western Conference. The Clippers remain tied with the Denver Nuggets in the loss column while sitting two games back of the top-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves. The Clippers and Timberwolves will meet on Sunday in Minneapolis.
James Harden chipped in with 11 points and nine assists while being a team-best plus-20 in his 28 minutes. The ability of Harden to orchestrate and allow others to benefit from that is not lost on the team.
“It’s just playing off those guys,” George said postgame. “Those guys create easy opportunities, so just trying to capitalize.”
When later asked what his favorite set or play is that makes him feel like a good shot is going to come for either him or the team, George answered bluntly: “James Harden pick-and-roll.”
George continued: “Him and Zu [Ivica Zubac] got such a connection that it’s gonna create a mismatch or it’s gonna create an opportunity, and I try to make myself available to give outlets because they’re gonna have to put two on James or put two on Zu. A lot of times I’m just wide open on those plays.”
Terance Mann finished with seven points and five rebounds; Ivica Zubac tallied six points and 11 boards, plus two blocks; Norman Powell added 11 points off the bench and has now made 53 consecutive free throws which puts him five away from tying Jamal Crawford’s franchise record; and Russell Westbrook had 12 points in 16 minutes.
Swingman Amir Coffey provided pivotal minutes for the Clippers as his energy was crucial on both ends, allowing the Clippers to compete with a younger, more athletic Grizzlies squad.
Coffey had 13 points on a perfect 6-for-6 shooting on the night, adding two rebounds and two steals in the process, and also received some acclaim postgame from coach Lue.
“I like Amir a lot,” espoused Lue. “It goes back to two years ago when [Paul George] and Kawhi Leonard were both out and Amir was starting. The way he played earned him a contract to be here long-term. He’s a great glue guy. He can make shots, he can catch the ball and drive it in transition, get to the basket, drive closeouts, he can make passes. The biggest thing [is] he can defend one through four. All-around, a solid player. That’s what you need around guys like James [Harden], Russell Westbrook, Kawhi, and Paul George. Just have a solid player who can do a little bit of everything and play hard every single night. I’m happy for Amir to finally crack the rotation and get some consistent minutes.”
Memphis was led by Jaren Jackson Jr.’s 21 but the forward was just 6-for-20 from the field; Xavier Tillman notched 20 points and nine rebounds, as well as played some stellar defense for large chunks of this game; and guard Desmond Bane had 15 points in 23 minutes before having to leave the contest due to injury.
Other notable scorers for Memphis: former Clippers guard Luke Kennard made three 3s and finished with 11 points; David Roddy had 17 off the bench; Ziaire Williams scored 13 in 19 minutes; and Jake LaRavia notched 12 in 20 minutes.
The Memphis Grizzlies, who are without Ja Morant (shoulder surgery) for the season and Marcus Smart (rupture of the proximal interphalangeal joint central slip) for the next season weeks, fell to 14-24 with the loss.
As mentioned, L.A. will be in Minnesota on Sunday where they meet the Timberwolves. A win there would see the Clippers climb to within one game of the top seed in the Western Conference, something that seemed all but impossible roughly two months ago when the Clippers were mired in a 3-7 start that had the bottom ready to drop out a moment’s notice.
It will arguably be the Clippers’ biggest test with Leonard in the fold since they dispatched the Nuggets in Los Angeles approximately five weeks ago.