The Memphis Grizzlies took on the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night and came away with a 128-114 loss. It was Memphis’ second game in two nights, and they were without Ja Morant.
As has been the case with many games this season, turnovers and points scored off those turnovers proved to be a thorn in the Grizzlies’ side. Couple that with an off night offensively for Jaren Jackson Jr., and Clippers small forward Kawhi Leonard having his second-highest-scoring game of the season, and this was the outcome.
It was a somewhat surprising outcome, given that Leonard has played just 15 games this season, and until last game, the Grizzlies were 7-1 in games with no rest this season.
Two-time all-star Jaren Jackson Jr. has been a dominant force on offense for Memphis, but foul trouble hindered his momentum Wednesday. Desmond Bane took on the role of leading scorer with a team-high 23 points, but sloppy ball handling and turnovers kept the game out of reach.
The Grizzlies held the lead briefly in the first quarter and for about half of the second quarter, but once the Clippers overtook them in the first half, they held onto their lead for the remainder of the game.
Turnovers. We need to talk about them. Memphis gave up 41 points off 22 turnovers. In contrast, Los Angeles only gave up 20 points off their 17 turnovers. Giving up that many points dug the Grizzlies into a hole they couldn’t claw their way out of.
Free throw shooting by the Grizzlies was also abysmal – 8 of 15 or 53.3%, with the Clippers shooting 21 of 22 or 95.5% from the charity stripe. Free throws were probably less of a factor in this match than the aforementioned turnovers, but they certainly didn’t help.
This Grizzlies team hasn’t figured out how to solve a problem like the Clippers or the Thunder, for that matter. But there is a chance that Memphis will face the Clippers in the first round, and based on their first two meetings this season, that could spell disaster for any hope of a deep playoff run.
By The Numbers:
Desmond Bane led the team in scoring with 23 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists on 8 of 17 overall shooting and 6 of 11 from beyond the arc.
Jaylen Wells finished the night with 18 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 steals while shooting 7 of 11 overall and 3 of 7 from three-point range.
Jaren Jackson Jr. closed out with 13 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 blocks on 5 of 12 overall shooting.
Luke Kennard was moved into the starting lineup and finished with 12 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals on 5 of 10 overall shooting and 2 of 3 from beyond the arc.
GG Jackson led the bench unit with 15 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal while shooting 6 of 11 overall and 2 of 4 from three-point range.
Santi Aldama added 14 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, and 1 block on 5 of 10 overall shooting and 4 of 6 from beyond the arc.
Who Got Next?
The Grizzlies will return after the All-Star break on February 20th when they take on the Indiana Pacers. Tip-off will be at 6 PM CST.
