Heading into their final game of a 4-Game Road Trip, the LA Clippers couldn’t seem to find their groove all night against a stifling Memphis Grizzlies defense. The Grizzlies wound up defeating the Clippers, 96-86.
After trailing by more than 15 points in the second quarter, the LA Clippers were mostly playing from behind at the FedEx Forum. The team came out just a bit sluggish to began the game, which was reasonable considering this was the last game of a road trip.
Fatigue kicked in early as the Clippers missed their first couple shots as Memphis came out the gate leading 10-0. One bright spot in the Clippers starting 5 was the play of young rookie guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
He contributed nicely defensively when had a block on Garrett Temple to along with 3 steals. SGA is starting to get more comfortable and confident in his 3-Point shot as well.
The offensive trifecta of Tobias Harris, Danilo Gallinari and Lou Williams were all relatively quiet all game. The trio combined to shoot (9-36 from the field, 25%).
Getting some crucial minutes for the first time since Nov. 28th’s contest versus the Suns was Boban Marjanovic. Leading the team in scoring on the night, Boban posted 19 points and 8 rebounds in just 13 minutes of game-time.
The Clippers shot a mere 33.8% from the field and 34.8% from beyond the ark. It is tough enough to win on the road but having those numbers will do a team no favors. The Clips also had 18 turnovers on the night but they’ll look to get back on track Saturday Night.
The LA Clippers next two opponents have a combined record of (13-34, .382 winning percentage) as the (9-14) Miami Heat visit Staples, before the Clips head out to Phoenix to take on the struggling (4-20) Suns.
As of now the Clippers sit at (16-8) good for 3rd in the West. They trail the Thunder by half a game and the Nuggets by one game.