As the eastern-most team in the Western Conference, the Grizzlies have never really taken well to West Coast road trips. Even in the past two seasons, over which the team had a winning record overall, they went 4-14 over four long West trips, including 1-8 in each season’s early trip.
So it’s not surprising to see the Grizzlies struggle a bit in their first long West Coast swing this season. And last night’s national TV game ended up better than the early returns suggested. With each team wearing ABA throwback jerseys — the Grizzlies representing the Memphis Tams — the oddball color schemes evoked a Harlem Globetrotters-Washington Generals game — with the green-and-yellow-clad Griz on the bad end of that dynamic. And that’s what it looked like for most of the first quarter, with the Clippers racing out to a 29-13 lead.
But with help from a quarter-ending halfcourt three from Rudy Gay, the Grizzlies went on a 15-0 run to get back into the game and it was close the rest of the way. But the Grizzlies just couldn’t generate enough offense in the fourth quarter to pull this one out.
Gay scored a game-high 24 points on 9-18 shooting but also committed six turnovers, and didn’t get much help from any other perimeter scorers. Mike Conley and O.J. Mayo combined to shoot 7-29, with reservers Quincy Pondexter and Dante Cunningham (2-8) similarly ineffective off the bench. Meanwhile, the Clippers deployed five good perimeter shooters, all of whom — Chris Paul, Chauncey Billups, Caron Butler, Mo Williams, and Randy Foye — hit at least one three-pointer.
