Five takeaways from the Clippers’ 111-107 loss to the Grizzlies

The Clippers (10-2) snapped a seven-game winning streak with a 111-107 loss to the Grizzlies (6-5) at Staples Center on Wednesday night. Below are five takeaways from the action.

1. Two halves, two teams

For most of this season, the Clippers have been throttling teams and not letting go.

That was not the case on Wednesday, as the Grizzlies trailed by just two points after one quarter and outscored the Clippers, 35-18, in the second. Clippers center DeAndre Jordan said he thought the team played with a “different spirit” in the two halves. Point guard Chris Paul said they did not execute well early on. Power forward Blake Griffin bluntly said, “We lost the game in the first half.”

“We didn’t have the energy,” Jordan said of the first half. “We were just going through the motions.”

The Clippers allowed 63 points in the first half, which was the most any team has scored on them in a half this season. At the start of the night, they were allowing a league-best 92.2 points per game.

2. Not great late

Despite the slow start, the Clippers roared back in the second and had a very feasible chance of stealing a sloppy win.

But a handful of late miscues kept them from doing so. The Clippers held possession with a 107-106 lead and 26.3 seconds on the clock when a turnover by Jamal Crawford led to a crucial three from Grizzlies center Marc Gasol. That three came after Jordan helped when he shouldn’t have and failed to close out in the corner. One possession later, with the Clippers trailing by one, J.J. Redick bobbled the ball while going up to shoot and Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley Jr. sealed the game with two free throws on the other end.

Crawford, who scored all 15 of his points in the second half, was also called for a technical down the stretch.

“We made a lot of mistakes,” Clippers Coach Doc Rivers said. “Obviously the [Crawford] turnover is a tough one, it happens. It’s game of mistakes and you have to play through those. The tech, I didn’t like. We should never get a tech in the fourth quarter.”

3. No contest, no pace

Before the ball tipped on Wednesday the Clippers had allowed opponents to shoot just 33.9% from three-point range on the season. The Grizzlies ran past that mark and finished 15 for 26 (57.7%) from beyond the arc.

Gasol’s late three was the Grizzlies’ biggest of the game, but they hit deep shots throughout the game. Gasol, a 7-foot-1 center, made four of his five three-point attempts and finished with 26 points. Conley made seven of his three-point attempts and finished with a team-high 30 points.

The effect of the Grizzlies’ consistent shooting was that the Clippers rarely played in transition. The Grizzlies play the fourth-slowest basketball in the NBA, and the whole game was played at their preferred tempo.

“If you’re not getting stops, you can’t play with pace,” Redick said. “You’re always taking the ball out of the net. It’s science.”

4. Torchbearer

Redick, like the Clippers, got off to a slow start by missing all three of his first-half three-point attempts.

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Clippers center DeAndre Jordan knocks the ball away from Grizzlies center Marc Gasol during their game Wednesday.

  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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Clippers point guard Chris Paul drives past Grizzlies guard James Ennis on Wednesday night.  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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Clippers forward Luc Mbah a Moute battles for a loose ball with Grizzlies guard Vince Carter (15) and center Marc Gasol (background) during their game Wednesday night at Staples Center.

  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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Grizzlies forward Jarell Martin tips the ball as he pressures Clippers forward Blake Griffin while he tries to make a pass Wednesday.

  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley knocks the ball away from Clippers point guard Chris Paul to create a turnover in the first half.

  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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Clippers guard Raymond Felton battles for the ball with Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph during a game at Staples Center on Nov. 16.  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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Clippers point guard Chris Paul, left, fouls Grizzlies forward James Ennis III on a drive to the basket against Clippers forward Luc Mbah a Moute (12) during the fourth quarter.

  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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Clippers forward Blake Griffin argues with a referee during the game against the Grizzlies.

  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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Clippers guard J.J. Redick loses control of the ball on a three-point shot attempt late in the fourth qaurter against the Grizzlies on Wednesday.

  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

But the shooting guard was the key to the Clippers’ second-half run, as he caught fire to sink seven threes on nine tries in the last two quarters. That led to a team-high 29 points, which was Redick’s season-high and the most he’s scored since dropping 40 against the Houston Rockets last January.

“I just felt like I got more aggressive with my shot,” Redick said of how he turned it around in the second.

5. Learning opportunity

The Clippers’ only other loss this season came against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Nov. 2 and they have mostly played with big leads since.

The loss to the Grizzlies was not only different because the Clippers did not come out on top, but also because it tested them in the guts of a tight game. Redick said he thinks that will be a good thing as the season rolls along.

“I think the second half was good in the sense that it brought us together a little bit and we had to fight a little bit,” Redick said. “Sometimes you forget when you win a series of games by a lot how hard it is to win in this league.”

jesse.dougherty@latimes.com

Twitter: @dougherty_jesse