Grizzlies Beat Clippers To Continue Streak
The Memphis Grizzlies beat the Los Angelos Clippers 96-85 Wednesday for their 14th win in their last 15 games. The win moves the Grizzlies ahead of the Clippers for third in the Western Conference.
Guard Mike Conley led the Grizzlies with a double-double, finishing with 17 points and 11 assists. Marc Gasol had 21 points on 10-of-14 shooting, and Zach Randolph finished with 13 points and eight rebounds.
Memphis has now won six straight games after beating Chris Paul and the Clippers Wednesday. The Grizzlies have been one of the hottest teams in the NBA since trading their star forward Rudy Gay to the Toronto Raptors in January.
Gay was sent to Toronto in a three-team deal that included the Detroit Pistons. The Pistons sent Austin Daye and Teyshawn Prince to the Grizzlies while Jose Calderon was sent from Toronto to Detroit.
At the time of the trade, many thought the Grizzlies were unloading their star player to cut some payroll, and maybe they did. Either way, the Grizzlies sport a 15-4 record since trading Rudy Gay to the Raptors.
Chris Paul scored 24 points and added nine assists in the loss to Memphis. Blake Griffin scored 22 points with six rebounds and five assists as the Clippers lost for the third time in five games.
DeAndre Jordan put down one of the best dunks of the season against the Pistons last Sunday but struggled against the Grizzlies. Jordan finished with just four points and two rebounds in the loss.
The Clippers match-up with the New York Knicks Sunday at Madison Square Garden in hopes of erasing the huge loss to the Grizzlies. The Clippers lead the Golden State Warriors by eight games in the Pacific Division.
The Memphis Grizzlies are currently second in the Southwest Division behind the San Antonio Spurs. They will face the Denver Nuggets on Sunday who are sporting a streak of their own.
The Nuggets have won 10 straight games including a beat down of the Knicks on Wednesday. Denver is just a game-and-a-half back of the Grizzlies for third in the Western Conference.
The Grizzlies made a pretty big statement with the win in Los Angeles but will have to remain focused if they expect to keep winning. Memphis isn’t built on pure talent and athleticism which puts more weight on their team play and ball movement.
The Grizzlies beat the Clippers and have quietly dominated over the past few weeks, making for an interesting run to the finish in the Western Conference.
