Clippers Sing Memphis Blues

The Clippers’ hopes of ending their longest trip in 14 years on a high note ended almost before Wednesday night’s game started, when Corey Maggette and Quentin Richardson sat on the bench in street clothes.

With two of their top three scorers sidelined, Maggette because of a bruised hip and Richardson because of a bruised thigh, the Clippers fell to the Memphis Grizzlies, 110-102, at the Pyramid, ending a 3-5 trip with a four-game skid.

But they didn’t go quietly.

Still showing signs of life at the end of a 14-day trip that began with a transcontinental flight out of LAX on Jan. 29, the Clippers trimmed a 19-point deficit to 100-95 inside of three minutes remaining. But Matt Barnes, subbing for Maggette, missed a shot from the right wing and Jason Williams scored on a layup at the other end to start a 7-0 run that carried the Grizzlies to their fifth victory in six games.

The Grizzlies, who’d never won more than 28 games, take a 30-22 record into All-Star weekend and appear headed for the playoffs.

The Clippers are 22-29, a season-worst seven games below .500, and headed for another difficult stretch of road games. After the All-Star break, they’ll play four of their first five games on the road, where they have a 7-18 record.

They’re 6-13 since Jan. 4, when they beat the Lakers, and 11-19 against Western Conference opponents, whom they’ll play in 22 of their last 31 games.

Still, Coach Mike Dunleavy looked at the bright side.

“I was proud of the effort,” he said, “but the first half we made too many turnovers, let them get too big a lead. But our guys played hard; they fought hard....

“The time that I will really be upset with our guys is when we’re not playing hard. Hard is everything, as far as I’m concerned. If you play hard and you keep trying and you keep learning, then we’re going to keep getting better. If you don’t play hard for me, that’s when I’m going to have some definite issues.”

Elton Brand led the Clippers with 24 points and 15 rebounds. Chris Kaman scored a season-high 16 points and Eddie House, taking Richardson’s spot, fell only three assists short of a triple-double, scoring 19 points and getting career highs of 10 rebounds and seven assists.

But like the Minnesota Timberwolves a night earlier, the Grizzlies jumped out to a big early lead against the Clippers, spotting them a 4-0 lead before outscoring them, 30-15, the rest of the first quarter. Their lead was 19 points late in the second quarter, 17 at halftime. They made 56.1% of their shots in the first half.

In the second half, however, they made only 41.7% and the Clippers, cutting down on their turnovers, methodically crept back.

“When we got it to five,” Brand said of the Clipper deficit, “I thought we were going to win that game.”

The Grizzlies had other ideas.

After Williams’ layup made the score 102-95, Brand missed a short jumper at the other end. Mike Miller then made the last of nine three-point baskets for the Grizzlies, eight more than the Clippers made, and the score was 105-95. Kaman missed a layup and Williams made two free throws, capping the decisive run.

Five Grizzlies scored in double figures, led by Pau Gasol, who made six of eight shots and 10 of 14 free throws, scoring 22 points. Williams had 10 assists and former Clipper Lorenzen Wright had 10 rebounds.

The Clippers were headed home, on the short end again. The trip could have been worse, Brand noted, but it could have been better too.

“It wasn’t a bust,” he said. “It was OK.”