It’s a Case of Too Little Too Late for Clippers

The Clippers saw it coming. They saw Vancouver being sent to the free-throw line an NBA-record 32 times in the fourth quarter, and saw the Grizzlies shake off their early lethargy and convert 22 of them.

They saw their lead, once 12 points, shrinking faster than the Canadian dollar.

They saw it, but that doesn’t mean they were able to forestall the inevitable. “It’s like when you get a cut that won’t stop bleeding,” Clipper forward Rodney Rogers said.

Because the Clippers couldn’t stop their defensive bleeding, the Grizzlies snatched a 119-113 victory Tuesday before a lively crowd of 15,160 at General Motors Place.

No matter that the 113 points represented a season high for the Clippers (1-5), or that Rogers’ 26 points were a team-best Tuesday and a season-best for him.

The Clippers simply disintegrated in the fourth quarter against the aggressive, gritty Grizzlies (3-4), who had lost to the Clippers in their previous four meetings in Vancouver and in seven of their previous eight games overall.

The Clippers held a 92-82 lead after three quarters, a cushion they squandered with hideous defense, poor shooting (seven for 24) and atrocious rebounding. Vancouver had a 16-12 rebounding edge in the fourth quarter and a 57-40 edge in the game, setting franchise records for most rebounds in a game and most points at home.

Shareef Abdur-Rahim led the Grizzlies with 29 points. But second-half contributions from their bench--George Lynch had 12 points and eight rebounds and Blue Edwards scored all 17 of his points in the last two quarters--lifted the Grizzlies past the flailing and frustrated Clippers.

“The only thing that helped them more than their bench was our play. We didn’t finish,” Clipper Coach Bill Fitch said. “We made half a house, half a pie, half a cake. Defensively, we showed no aggression. We went from dominating the game on the boards to being completely out of it.

“I thought our offense got stagnant, with poor passes and poor decisions at times.”

Rogers was their offense for much of the first half, getting 10 points in each of the first two quarters. The Clippers led, 62-52, at halftime and faltered early in the third, when former Laker Anthony Peeler made a driving layup to cut the Clipper lead to 64-61. They recovered enough to rebuild their 10-point lead entering the fourth quarter.

That’s when it all fell apart--and when the Grizzlies came together, thanks to their hustle and resilience.

“It takes all of us to win,” Vancouver Coach Brian Hill said. “We can’t rely on two guys. We’ve got to have an eight- or nine-man effort.”

That they got, taking off on a 15-3 run after Rogers’ short hook had given the Clippers a 98-91 lead with 7:22 left in the fourth quarter.

Pete Chilcutt’s three-point basket with 8:39 to play--the Grizzlies’ only three-pointer in five tries, compared with the Clippers’ 10-of-22 shooting--cut the Clipper lead to 96-90. Edwards trimmed it by another point when he made one of two free throws, and the Grizzlies kept pressing as Abdur-Rahim cut the Clipper lead to 101-100 with 4:11 to play, slamming home a feed from Otis Thorpe after the Clippers turned it over on a shot-clock violation.

Abdur-Rahim put Vancouver ahead, 102-101, with 3:44 to play on a five-foot jumper, and five consecutive free throws helped the Grizzlies pull away.

Chilcutt scored all seven of his points in the fourth quarter, Edwards scored 10 and Lee Mayberry ran the team well, dishing out three assists.

“They got themselves to the line and we didn’t,” Clipper guard Darrick Martin said after the Grizzlies made 30 of 47 free throws. “We just didn’t make plays when we should have, that’s what it comes down to.

“They’re doing well. They started off as just a novelty, but [General Manager] Stu Jackson is making some good moves and they’re getting better. They’re playing well as a team.”

Better, certainly, than the Clippers did Tuesday.

“It wasn’t any one thing,” Fitch said. “We just hit the wall.”