INGLEWOOD — With so many new names and game tendencies to learn, plus an extended time off looming, Clippers coach Tyronn Lue had one goal coming into Wednesday night’s final home game before the All-Star break.
“Win. That’s it. Just win,” he said.
If only it was that easy.
The Clippers needed heavy minutes from their starters and a boost from the bench to overcome a sluggish start but they dominated the middle two quarters to defeat the red-hot Memphis Grizzlies, 128-114, at the Intuit Dome, giving Lue what he wanted.
A win.
The victory gave the Clippers (30-23) an additional bit of breathing room in the congested Western Conference standings after the seventh-place Minnesota Timberwolves lost to the Milwaukee Bucks earlier Wednesday. The Clippers’ one-sided victory solidified their sixth place standing with one game left (Thursday night in Utah) before they begin their All-Star break.
The Clippers took advantage of the short-handed Grizzlies, who were without star point guard Ja Morant. He was ruled out shortly before the game because of a sore right knee on the second night of a back-to-back. The two-time All-Star is averaging 20.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, 7.4 assists and 1.3 steals, while shooting 44.7% from the field and 32.1% from 3-point range.
Morant’s absence didn’t mean the Clippers would get off easily; Memphis is 14-7 when Morant is unavailable this season, and the Grizzlies came into the game having won 11 of their past 13 games.
And for a while, it appeared that the Grizzlies were headed for another victory without their oft-injured star as the Clippers couldn’t find the basket in the early going. Norman Powell, the team’s leading scorer, and center Ivica Zubac were in single digits after the first half.
The two, however, got going in the third quarter and joined four others who finished in double figures as the Clippers pulled away, leading by as many as 24 points in the second half and rolled to what turned out to be a relatively easy night. After outscoring the Grizzlies by 14 in the second quarter, they outscored them by 15 in the third to take control.
Kawhi Leonard scored a team-high 25 points and had five rebounds and four assists in a season-high 34 minutes. Powell finished with 18 points on 7-of-14 shooting, while Zubac posted 13 rebounds to go with his 12 points.
Harden, who is headed to this weekend’s All-Star Game as a reserve, moved past Hakeem Olajuwon for 13th place on the NBA’s career scoring list with 26,949 points. He scored 18 in this one, along with 10 assists and eight rebounds.
Kris Dunn, who started in place of Derrick Jones Jr., scored 14 points and shot 4 for 4 from 3-point range – both season-highs for the shooting guard while adding five assists and five steals. Amir Coffey contributed 15 points and three rebounds off the bench, while Jones added nine points as the Clippers scored 41 points off of 22 Memphis turnovers.
The Clippers got off to a fast start, scoring the first nine points before the Grizzlies found their bearings at the Intuit Dome, missing their first six shots. Desmond Bane ended the drought with a 3-pointer four minutes into the opening quarter, setting off a 10-2 run to take a 15-11 lead.
Although the Clippers managed to catch the Grizzlies, they couldn’t shake them. Memphis led by 11 after the first quarter, 39-28. The Clippers found momentum in the second period to grab a 66-63 lead into halftime.
Powell had just seven points and Zubac two points and three rebounds in the first half, which added to the Clippers’ struggles against the hot-shooting Grizzlies. Memphis shot 54.5% from the field and 56.3% from the 3-point range in the first half.
Newcomer Bogdan Bogdanovic gave a glimpse of his shooting talent in a brief appearance off the bench. After checking in at the 4:08 mark of the first quarter, he immediately buried an introductory 3-pointer and finished with seven points to begin his Clippers career.
The Serbian guard came to the Clippers in the trade that sent Terance Mann and Bones Hyland to Atlanta last week.
The Clippers’ other new players – Patty Mills, Marjon Beauchamp and Ben Simmons – didn’t play, although Simmons is expected to make his debut Thursday night against the Jazz. Backup center Drew Eubanks was out with a left ankle sprain.
Bane scored 16 of his 23 points in the first quarter for the Grizzlies. Jaylen Wells finished with 18 points. GG Jackson had 15 points and Santi Aldama had 14.
The Clippers will have a lot to unpack after the All-Star break, namely how to incorporate five new players into an already established lineup. For the Clippers, it will be a fresh start after slogging through the end of the first half of the season.
They head in Thursday’s game having won two in a row after a three-game losing streak. Not exactly the kind of rousing sendoff the Clippers wanted as they headed on vacation.
Lue said he will use the time off trying to figure out where Bogdanovic fits in, how to capitalize on Simmons’ versatility and who best can help the Clippers hang onto a playoff spot.
“Just improve offensively I think is the biggest thing, just understanding our spacing, understanding how we want to play, understanding how we want to attack teams every single night,” Lue said. “And so, with the new additions, we get a chance to start over offensively and kind start teaching again and understanding what we’re trying to do.”
More to come on this story.