Tired Clippers find a way to win against the Grizzlies

The Los Angeles Clippers put on a dominant performance against the Dallas Mavericks yesterday, but certainly looked like a team on its second game of a back-to-back against the Memphis Grizzlies at the FedEx Forum.

The Clippers took at four point lead to end the first quarter 35-31, but couldn’t saw both the second and third quarters end in a tie, setting the table for a 92-88 score entering the fourth.

It wouldn’t be outlandish to say that the Clippers were lucky to enter the fourth with any lead, because they were extremely sloppy with the ball. Lou Williams, Paul George, and Patrick Beverley all had at least three turnovers, which is part of the reason that the Grizzlies were able to go on a huge run to give themselves a 10 point lead halfway through the final stanza. They included a few boneheaded moves, like Beverley having a five second violation called on him while inbounding near the Memphis basket.

Lou Williams had a strange night from the free throw line as well, only shooting 9 of 13 from the line. That obviously didn’t deter him, and he stayed his usual aggressive self and scored when it mattered. He did a great job of distributing the ball as well, dishing out a career high 13 assists.

Tired opponents or not, the Grizzlies had an excellent performance on the floor tonight. Their standout player was Jonas Valanciunas, who continues to show people that he wasn’t just some throwaway in the deal that sent Memphis legend Marc Gasol to the Raptors to help them win a ring. The Lithuanian scored 30 points and pulled down a huge 16 rebounds – the Clippers simply had no answer for him.

The Clippers did a good job of containing electric rookie Ja Morant’s scoring, but he still scored 20 points and found other ways to involve himself, distributing the ball well with 11 assists and being a pest on defense with 4 steals.

The visitors, who are starting to gel together and show their championship threat, refused to go away. They went on a big run of their own too that saw them take a 116-115 lead thanks to a big three from George. Morant then drew two fouls in consecutive possessions and made all four free throws to swing the lead back to Memphis 119-116. 

Beverley promptly answered with a corner three to tie the game. Neither team could take advantage of opportunities in their ensuing possessions, leading to a Clippers timeout with 31.2 seconds left in the game. Montrezl Harrell got a huge putback with 2.3 seconds left. The Grizzlies weren’t able to get a good shot in the final possession of the game, a 121-119 win.

The Clippers are starting to make a habit out coming back from double digit leads in the fourth quarter. These cardiac victories are going to be excellent experience for the team, as it will continue to build up their confidence in each other and their ability to win on any given night. George, Harrell, and Williams all finished with at least 22 points in a Kawhi-less outing. 

They’ll be enjoying their Thanksgiving downtime.

The Lakers also struggle but beat the young Pelicans

There was always going to be a lot of drama with this game. Anthony Davis’ return to the city that he forced his way out of, facing all of the young players that the Lakers jettisoned to get him, didn’t disappoint.

As they’ve done all season, the Pelicans started fast and stamped their authority on the game with a blistering offense. They got a huge first half from Jrue Holiday, who had 25 points 6 assists and 2 steals while shooting 10 of 15 from the field and 4 of 4 from beyond the arc. Holiday’s performance helped mitigate a 27 point first half from their former franchise player, who was the only reason LA was still in the game at halftime. The Pelicans finished the first half with a 64-54 lead.

The second half started with more of the same. The Lakers relied heavily on Anthony Davis, whose interior scoring and ability to draw fouls stymied the Pelicans.

Holiday only made one shot in the third quarter, but he still put his stamp on the game by distributing the ball well which saw his team’s lead extended to 15 points.

AD continued his strong play, pushing his total points to 36 in the third. This included a sequence where he dunked the ball, grabbed a steal, and scored again right away. 

The quarter ended with an 89-79 lead for the Pelicans, along with a scary moment for Davis after he collided with an opposing player and went to the ground clutching his elbow. 

The fourth quarter ended with Davis on the bench getting treatment for himself. His teammates finally picked up the slack, and took advantage of a sluggish start from the Pelicans, going on a 19-4 run to tie the game 91-91. They then pushed for a lead that grew to 100-95 with less than six minutes left.

The rest of the game was furious and saw the Lakers lose the ball with a 1 point lead. The Pelicans had the last possession with a 111-110 score and a chance to win the game. JJ Redick blew an open shot. Davis split a pair of free throws to push the lead to 112-110. He then stole the ball from a Pelicans inbound and got himself two more free throws and made the game 114-110.

LeBron James turned it on in the fourth and finished with 29 points, 5 Rebounds, and 11 assists. Davis finished with 41 points and 9 rebounds. The Lakers are yet to lose to a team under .500 this season.

It’s a tough loss to swallow, especially for the home crowd who greeted Anthony Davis with a chorus of boos throughout the game. Holiday finished with 29 points and 12 assist while Brandon Ingram finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds.

Rockets get revenge on Heat

With Jimmy Butler on the floor in their previous game, the Miami Heat handily beat the Houston Rockets 129-100. 

The Heat certainly could have used Jimmy Butler’s defense and scoring against the Rockets today. They put up a decent showing and a balanced offense that saw six players score in double digits, but they simply couldn’t find a way to contain James Harden, Russell Westbrook, and Danuel House Jr. The three Rockets combined for 84 points.

The home team may not have had Clint Capela on the floor, but still held a minor rebounding advantage over their opponents. Not being able to outbound a team missing a guy who’s been grabbing close to 20 boards a game recently is not a great look.

The 117-108 victory saw the season series end in a 1-1 tie.

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Other Games:

The Timberwolves beat the Spurs 113-101 behind 23 points, 14 rebounds, and 6 assists from KAT.

Giannis Antentokounmpo continues to pad his MVP claim for and the Bucks’ record with a 30 point, 10 rebound double-double in a 111-102 win against the Hawks.

The Celtics’ Kemba Walker exploded for 39 points in a 121-110 victory against the Nets.

The 76ers survived a late run from the Kings to win 97-91.

The Raptors handled the Knicks 126-98 thanks to Pascal Siakam’s 31 points and 8 rebounds.

Magic def. Cavs 116-104, Pacers def. Jazz 121-102, Wizards def. Suns 140-132, Hornets def. Pistons 102-101, Blazers def. Thunder 136-119

To be updated later with other scores from today’s games.