Tonight in LA, the Clippers look to keep their winning momentum going against the Memphis Grizzlies.
When the two teams last met on December 23rd, the Grizzlies won by just three points. Since then, Blake Griffin has returned to the LA Clippers’ starting lineup, making him a key factor for tonight. Griffin had a beyond-successful return against the Hornets on New Year’s Eve with 25 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 blocks, and 1 steal. He was also able to play 33 minutes during that bout despite this being his first game back. Griffin will likely spend the majority of the game guarded by 6’9″ forward JaMychal Green. The question to be asked about Griffin going into tonight’s game is “will he be looking to pass or score?”. Griffin has the ability to do both, but the Clippers tend to come up short in games where he is more concerned with making plays than finishing them.
Austin Rivers is listed as questionable for tonight after dealing with a sore right Achilles tendon. The injury caused him to miss the team’s last game against the Hornets, however, Lou Williams picked up the slack, scoring 40 for the victory. “Sweet Lou” is averaging 21 points in 31 minutes along with 4.8 assists. The Grizzlies are likely concerned with the offensive threat that Lou Williams is. He has scored 30 eight times so far and is shooting 40.8% from behind the arch. We don’t understand the logic behind the probable 6th Man of the Year making his 13th NBA season his best, but we aren’t going to complain about it.
Final note: The $153 million-dollar man, Mike Conley, is unable to play tonight due to a sore left Achilles. We wish him a speedy recovery, as the Grizzlies will need him playing in order to make a playoff push this season. Tune in to NBA TV to see our Clips face the Grizzlies in what should be a great game!