Clippers Fizzle in Loss to Grizzlies

Expectations among Clipper fans are so low that even when the team shrivels in key moments, as it did Saturday in losing to the Memphis Grizzlies, nary a discouraging word is heard inside Staples Center.

Saturday’s matinee crowd of 15,481 mostly sat on its hands as the Grizzlies rallied from a six-point, third-quarter deficit to a 98-92 victory, never once registering disappointment before quietly filing out of the building.

Elton Brand, though, apparently doesn’t take losing so lightly.

The Clippers’ best player, usually among the most amenable and accommodating of professional athletes, didn’t stick around long enough afterward to answer reporters’ questions about the club’s fourth consecutive loss.

If Brand is growing frustrated, it’s easy to see why.

The Clippers and Grizzlies have gone in opposite directions in the almost two months since the Grizzlies made their last visit to Los Angeles. The Grizzlies are rocketing toward the playoffs and the Clippers are free-falling toward the lottery.

Before a 108-107 overtime victory over the Clippers on Jan. 11 in Staples Center, the Grizzlies had a losing record. They were only one game ahead of the Clippers in the Western Conference standings.

They’re 21-6 since, 3-0 against the Clippers. They’ve won four in a row, nine of 11, and have pushed their overall record to 38-24.

Over the same two-month stretch, the Clippers are 10-18. At 25-36 overall, they’ve lost six of seven. They’re 11-23 against Western Conference opponents, 0-8 since a 93-82 victory over the Utah Jazz on Jan. 23 at Staples Center.

The two teams continued on their divergent paths Saturday, when the Clippers forged a 65-59 lead, only to have the Grizzlies end the third quarter with a 14-6 run and start the fourth with a 14-5 burst.

After making 53.7% of their shots in the first two quarters, the Clippers made 33.3% in the third, 35% in the fourth. They were outrebounded in the second half, 29-21, the Grizzlies outscoring them in second-chance points, 14-0.

Said Coach Mike Dunleavy, whose Clippers are a season-high 11 games below .500: “I thought, particularly in the second half, the hustle plays got us.

“When we had our stops, they got second-chance opportunities. They came up with loose balls; they beat us to balls. And that part of it is disappointing.”

Bo Outlaw, a defensive specialist who averages four points a game, scored a season-high 13 for the Grizzlies and had a team-high 11 rebounds, a game-high five on offense.

“He outworked us,” Dunleavy said.

Four other Grizzlies scored in double figures, led by James Posey, who scored 15 points.

Brand and Corey Maggette each scored 18 for the Clippers. But it wasn’t nearly enough to slow the Grizzlies.

“Hubie’s got them playing good basketball.” Clipper guard Eddie House said of Coach Hubie Brown’s team. “Everybody’s getting on the floor and contributing. They’re playing well together as a team, offensively and defensively, both the first team and the second team.”

Everything the Clippers aren’t doing when it matters most.

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Fans are advised to allow extra time getting to today’s game because of marathon-related traffic.