Clippers at Grizzlies
The Memphis Grizzlies look to follow up on Monday’s victory over Los Angeles when they host the Clippers on Friday. Memphis is 2-0 against the Clippers this season, including the tightly contested affair in Los Angeles in which Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley stole the ball from Clippers point guard Chris Paul to preserve the 90-87 victory. Los Angeles has lost two straight games and Memphis fell to Sacramento 102-90 on Wednesday.
The loss to Kings marked only the fourth time in 20 games that the Grizzlies have lost as they have worked their way into second place in the Western Conference. After losing to Memphis, the Clippers opened a four-game road trip with a 110-105 loss to the Houston Rockets on Wednesday while allowing 17 3-point baskets. Paul had 22 points and 14 assists against the Rockets after having 30 points and 10 assists against the Grizzlies.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, Prime Ticket (Los Angeles), SportSouth (Memphis)
ABOUT THE CLIPPERS (37-21): Los Angeles has been in a bit of an adjustment mode without injured All-Star forward Blake Griffin and currently sits sixth in the Western Conference. It wasn’t until recently that the Clippers began playing with more urgency and that will still need to be dialed up with March right around the corner. “We still have a ways to go,” veteran guard Jamal Crawford told reporters. “You don’t want to be playing your best ball right now, but you want to start building, especially heading toward the end of the season.”
ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES (41-15): Power forward Zach Randolph struggled mightily against the Clippers with seven points on 2-of-12 shooting but bounced back to produce 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting against Sacramento. Randolph was just 14-of-45 shooting in a three-game span before the effort against the Kings, which was his first 20-point outing since Jan. 31 versus the Oklahoma City Thunder. Center Marc Gasol has been rather pedestrian since the All-Star break by averaging 16.3 points and 6.3 rebounds.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Memphis has won the past three meetings.
2. Crawford leads all reserves with 21 20-point outings this season.
3. Grizzlies swingman Vince Carter (foot) will miss his 11th straight game.