Grizzlies dominated on glass in loss to Clippers
Memphis Grizzlies guard Desmond Bane (22) shoots against Los Angeles Clippers guard James Harden (1) in Los Angeles, Friday, Dec. 29, 2023. (Damian Dovarganes/AP)
Only seven minutes had come off the clock, but he was already out of gas.
Grizzlies superstar Ja Morant leaned over in the tunnel. He had a towel in his left hand and the team trainer stood to his right. He was laboring; clearly fighting to catch his breath.
One day after being ruled out with an illness, the Grizzlies superstar was obviously not at 100% during the Grizzlies’ 117-106 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night.
Illness has smacked Memphis hard over the last few weeks. Very few players have been able to escape the locker room bug on the recent road trip.
A couple days of turmoil may force the team to regroup.
After winning four straight games following the return of Morant, the Grizzlies’ defense has let them down in two straight losses.
Memphis surrendered 142 points to Denver on Thursday, then followed that effort by giving up 117 on 49% shooting in Los Angeles. Self-inflicted mistakes (18 turnovers) were the only thing that could slow the Clippers down.
Seven different Los Angeles players reached double digits on Friday. Paul George led the way with 23.
Needing more
Morant did the most he could, given the circumstances. He finished with 19 points and 10 assists.
It wasn’t enough.
Memphis needed heroics elsewhere to give themselves a chance against the hot-handed Clippers.
With his team down by 15 and Los Angeles lighting up the scoreboard, Jaren Jackson Jr. stepped up his game on the defensive end to block two shots and spark a 20-5 run that gave Memphis some life late in the second quarter.
The spurt evened the score, but only momentarily.
The Clippers answered the Memphis punch by racing out of the gate in the second half to quickly re-establish their dominance.
A 15-2 run pushed them back to an 18-point advantage, which was plenty big enough to survive a turnover-happy fourth quarter.
Jackson’s defensive impact was countered by offensive lulls.
It was a relatively slow night for Desmond Bane, who battled first-half foul trouble and took only 11 shots, his second-fewest attempts on the season.
Interior inconsistency
The Grizzlies are still searching for answers at center, although the starting spot has been occupied by Bismack Biyombo for most of the season.
Biyombo, who was an emergency signing when Steven Adams was ruled out for the season, started strong but has since tailed off in production.
Entering Friday, Biyombo was averaging just 4.4 points and 5.8 rebounds in more than 22 minutes over his last 12 games. He finished with two points and two rebounds against the Clippers.
At halftime, Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins replaced Biyombo with Xavier Tillman Sr. in the lineup.
Neither player was the answer.
Los Angeles dominated the glass, 54-33, and used 11 offensive rebounds to generate 16 second-chance points.
At the moment, there is nowhere else for the Grizzlies to turn in the frontcourt.
Reinforcements are on the way as soon as Sunday (Derrick Rose and Luke Kennard), but they come on the wing and in the backcourt.
Up next
The Grizzlies will return home to take on the Sacramento Kings on Sunday, Dec. 31 at 7 p.m. (Bally Sports Southeast).
Topics
Memphis Grizzlies Grizzlies basketball Los Angeles Clippers Memphis vs. Los Angeles Grizzlies vs. Clippers NBADrew Hill
Drew Hill covers the Memphis Grizzlies and is a top-10 APSE winner. He has worked throughout the South writing about college athletics before landing in Memphis.
Want to comment on our stories or respond to others? Join the conversation by subscribing now. Only paid subscribers can add their thoughts or upvote/downvote comments. Our commenting policy can be viewed here.