Friday night’s bad weather didn’t stop the Memphis Grizzlies from beating the Los Angeles Clippers, 108-94. The Grizzlies overcame a 20-point deficit in the first quarter to secure their 34th home victory of the season.
The 14-point victory was the largest margin of victory in team history in a game where the Grizzlies trailed by 20 or more points, according to Sportradar.
“We kind of just settled down towards the end of the first. I just reminded them to just keep staying the course,” said Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins. “It’s a long game. We’re starting to feel out what this game is going to need from us. Then we battle back, have a great second quarter.”
Jenkins continued, “We take a lead and build a 20-point lead in the second half. Proud of the guys. It’s a 48-minute game, and we had these looks in our eyes like ‘Hey, what’s going on right now?’ in the first quarter. Luckily, we were able to turn the corner before it got too late.”
Desmond Bane was in his bag, scoring 22 points and tying a career-high nine assists, plus three steals to lead the Grizzlies to 49-28 on the season.
Luke Kennard tallied 17 points and six rebounds off the bench while connecting on 5-of-10 from the 3-point line.
Ja Morant praised Kennard’s shooting after the game. “He could shoot then [with the Clippers] and he can shoot now,” Morant said about Kennard as an opponent, and now a teammate. “He’s on our side now. We believe in him 100 percent.” Morant finished with 10 points, five rebounds, and four assists.
Xavier Tillman Sr. had a solid 14 points, eight rebounds, two assists, two steals, and two blocks, while Santi Aldama got 13 points and eight rebounds as a reserve.
Surprising highlight dunk
David Roddy absolutely destroyed Ivica Zubac.
“That definitely surprised me, I say that respectfully,” said Jenkins on Roddy’s emphatic dunk. “I know he’s got some bounce, and he’s got some force, but that was a pretty epic dunk for sure. Once he gets a runway, you watch out.”
Tibits
Kenny Lofton, Jr. was named Kia G League Rookie of the Year. Lofton Jr. averaged 20.2 points, 10.5 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.2 steals in 17 games during the regular season.
Jaren Jackson Jr. improved on his previous personal best in blocks, and set a franchise record in the process. The All-Star forward added three blocks in last night’s game to reach 180 and set a new franchise record for most blocks in a season, which he achieved last year with 177 in 78 games. This year, Jackson Jr. only needed 59 games to set the new mark. He leads the NBA with a career-high 3.1 blocks per game.
Jackson Jr. also had nine points and two steals against the Clippers. “It’s cool – glad we could do it at home,” said Jackson Jr. on setting the single season franchise record in blocks. “Glad we could get a win; glad all my teammates signed the basketball, kept the jersey. I mean, it all fits. It’s a cool feeling.”
For the Grizzlies, unsung heroes emerged to give them a victory before a happy home crowd. For those fans, it was fitting to get revenge on the Clippers.
Up Next
The Grizzlies will travel to Chicago to play the Bulls at 2:30 p.m. CT on Sunday, April 2.
