The Grizzlies defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 135-109 on Tuesday night in Memphis.
With a record of 38-18, the Grizzlies are 20 games above .500 for the first time since the 2014-15 season.
It was the first time Memphis had swept the Clippers in a season series since the 2003-04 campaign (4-0). The Grizzlies are perfect (16-0) this season when scoring at least 120 points, which includes their four victories against the Clippers.
The unicorn and the ninja were the two best players on the court last night. The twosome of Jaren Jackson Jr. and Ja Morant combined to outscore all of the Clippers starters 56-40.
Jackson, Jr. came out aggressive from the start and finished with 26 points and 11 rebounds. One could speculate he was upset by his All-Star snub. An aggressive unicorn will be scary for the Grizzlies’ future opponents.
Taylor Jenkins was proud of Jackson, Jr.’s aggressive play. He said, “I thought he played with great force, great activity. It’s something that we challenge in him, to continue to be aggressive on the boards, offensively and defensively. I thought he just was relentless – getting 50/50 balls. There were a couple sequences there, and-one, transition, we play with great pace, we miss a wide open three, he goes in and collects a big rebound, he’s swooping in from the corner to tip a ball out. I think we ended up with 21 offensive rebounds and he was a huge piece of that. So, when he plays with that aggressiveness and accepts that challenge, it pays off substantially for us and for him.”
Morant also praised his teammate:
Morant finished with 30 points, seven rebounds and five assists. In the third quarter, he scored 14 of his 30 points. The 22-year-old now has at least 30 points in 19 games this season and averages more points per quarter than any other NBA player in the third period (9.2 points).
For the second straight game, the Grizzlies held a 30-point lead and Morant did not play in the fourth quarter.
After the game Clippers guard Reggie Jackson described how difficult it is playing this current Grizzlies team. He said, “Taking care of the ball and keeping them out of transition. They dominate the paint every game we’ve played them and getting downhill attacking, not just Ja [Morant]. He’s been extremely aggressive all year and he knows what he’s doing. We gave them easy ones with crucial turnovers so that’s tough. This is a team that lives off pace and getting down the court and they really live off your mistakes.”
“We are reactionary when we play this team and we just have to hit first,” Jackson added. “We know their motto and it’s something they’re going to embrace: grit and grind. We understand what Memphis is about. They are a tough, blue collar team so the way they play and come out and compete it’s really indicative of who they are. We understand that we have to come out with a better mentality and be more physical and don’t worry about the refs.”
Jackson concluded, “They move at a high pace, they get up and down, and they really use their legs. It’s not even just their pace but how well they’re spaced within their pace. You can tell they work on it and they’re great at using all their weapons and their ability to make the right reads. They have a lot of talent but their continuity is what makes them a tough team right now.”
Tidbits
Zach Randolph was in the building to watch the Grizzlies demolish the Clippers. He had some words of wisdom for Morant and Jackson, Jr. after the game.
Who Got Next
The Grizzlies start a three-game road trip in Detroit against the Pistons on Thursday evening. Tip-off is at 6pm CT.
