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 "I looked up at one point and we were shooting like 28 percent,"
Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin said. "Our defense was
keeping us there."
The Clippers came alive in the second half and defeated the Memphis
Grizzlies 101-81, getting 50 points from their reserves. The Los
Angeles players accepting a challenge issued by coach Doc Rivers
after two consecutive losses and a performance in Atlanta on
Wednesday night that Rivers dismissed as "awful."
"Best thing about the NBA is you've got an opportunity the next
night," said guard Jamal Crawford, who with guard Darren Collison
led the bench brigade with 15 points each. Reserve forward Antawn
Jamison finished with 11 points, and rookie guard Reggie Bullock had
nine.
"Doc gets frustrated with us (on defense) because we haven't done it
consistently," Crawford added.
By playing strong defense until the offense could catch up Thursday,
the Clippers (13-7) gave Rivers his 600th career victory as an NBA
head coach. He became the 23rd coach in league history to reach the
milestone.
"It means I've been around a lot," Rivers said. "It means I've been
lucky enough to coach some really good players."
Memphis (9-9) led 42-40 at the half, but coach Dave Joerger was
under no illusions.
"That team is an elite team," Joerger said of the Clippers. "They
weren't going to score 80."
Among the Clippers' starters, point guard Chris Paul had 15 points
and eight assists; Griffin finished with 14 points, nine rebounds
and five assists; and center DeAndre Jordan scored 10 points and
grabbed 14 rebounds.
Memphis led 46-42 with 9:25 left in the third quarter when guard
Jerryd Bayless was called for a flagrant-one foul after pushing
Griffin. The Clippers forward made two free throws, and Los Angeles
was off on a 22-7 run to close the quarter and take a 64-53 lead
into the fourth. Memphis scored just 11 points in the third period.
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The Grizzlies cut the lead to 64-57 at the start
of the fourth quarter as center Kosta Koufos (game-high 17
points) scored twice at the rim. However, the Clippers answered
with an 18-5 run that put them up 82-62 with 7:05 to play.
Bullock, who averages 2.5 points per game, hit back-to-back
3-pointers near the run's end to boost the lead from 12 to 18
points.
Memphis point guard Mike Conley had 16 points, swingman Quincy
Pondexter scored 15, and power forward Zach Randolph had 12
points and 12 boards. Grizzlies forward Ed Davis left the game
in the second quarter with a sprained left ankle and did not
return.
"I don't think we had a lack of energy," Randolph said. "When
they started hitting shots, I think we dropped our heads."
Los Angeles shot 55 percent from 3-point range (11-for-20) and
47.5 percent overall (38-for-80). Bullock was 3-for-3 on 3-point
attempts, and Jamison was 3-for-5.
"We have the offensive firepower to be amazing," Paul said.
"We've just gotta do it defensively."
They did it well enough that Memphis shot 37.7 percent overall
(29-for-77) and 3-for-13 behind the arc (23.1 percent). Randolph
was 4-for-13 from the floor.
"The biggest key of the game was DeAndre Jordan guarding Zach,"
Joerger said. "He guarded Zach, he guarded everybody else, he
protected the rim, and he changed shots at the rim."
NOTES: In the 2012 playoffs, the Clippers beat the Grizzlies in
Game 7 of the first round in Memphis. Last season, the Grizzlies
beat the Clippers in six games in the first round. If not quite
a classic rivalry, there is an undeniable edge to the
competition. First-year Clippers coach Doc Rivers saw that from
afar. "These two teams are not gonna like each other until all
the players are traded and all the coaches are fired," Rivers
said, "and that's the truth. And I think it's great. I love that
kind of stuff. It's good for our game." ... With Thursday's
victory, the Clippers lead the all-time series 36-35. ...
Memphis PF Zach Randolph started after missing two games because
of the removal of an ingrown toenail. "Tell Blake (Griffin) not
to step on his foot," Grizzlies coach Dave Joerger said. ...
Memphis SG Tony Allen did not play due to a bruised hip. ...
Through Wednesday, Los Angeles C DeAndre Jordan's 44 dunks
ranked second in the NBA.
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