BY: VENANCIO VALENCIA — SPORTS ON AIR — CORRESPONDENT
INGLEWOOD — All-Star point guard Ja Morant didn’t suit up for the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night with a knee issue.
But even if he suited up at the Intuit Dome, the Grizz still would have had difficulty beating a Clippers team that showed the cohesion and promise of a heavyweight title contender.
Led by Kawhi Leonard’s 25 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists, all five of LA’s starters scored in double figures in points, erasing a 12-point deficit into a 24-point lead during a blistering run where they scored 74 points during the second and third periods.
James Harden and Norman Powell each had 18 points and a combined 13 rebounds and 12 assists. Defensive specialist Kris Dunn added 14 markers while Ivica Zubac pitched in 12 and 13 boards.
The Clippers shot a high 50.5 percent from the field (47-of-93) and 37.1 percent from three (13-of-35). The Grizzlies also shot well from the field (49 percent) and from 3-point distance (50 percent) but they lost the rebounds (46-40) and assists (29-24) battle.
Desmond Bane fired six 3s to lead the Grizzlies with 23 points while Jaren Jackson Jr. had 13 and 6 rebounds.
Trailing only by one point at the half, Memphis got mauled in the third period, 36-21, and never showed signs of rallying on a night where they were playing back-to-back.
