Grizzlies’ Zach attack is too much for the Clippers

Zach Randolph stood over Jeff Green as the Clippers forward lay on the court, holding his head with both hands and writhing in pain.

Randolph had come to check on Green midway through the third quarter after inadvertently elbowing him in the forehead. The blow left a gash that forced Green from the game and required eight stitches.

Randolph’s presence was also a metaphor for the way he loomed over his former team during the Memphis Grizzlies’ 113-102 victory over the Clippers on Saturday night at FedEx Forum.

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The power forward was strong in all facets, notching his first career triple-double with 28 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. After scoring his final points on a step-back jumper over the Clippers’ DeAndre Jordan with about three minutes in the game, Randolph smiled as he backpedaled on defense.

He pumped his arm when he departed the game a few minutes later, high-fiving Grizzlies Coach Dave Joerger as the crowd showered him with a standing ovation.

The only person harder on the Clippers after they lost a potential first-round playoff preview was their coach, Doc Rivers.

“I’m just disappointed that we got out-competed tonight and it was clear,” Rivers said. “It actually started in practice [Friday]. It was a waste-of-time practice, it was a waste-of-time game for us today, it was a waste-of-time shoot-around. I should have flown like half the team straight to New Orleans today [for a game Sunday against the Pelicans]. It would have served us well because we could have let them go and sit there and rest because we didn’t do anything today.

“That’s on me too, though. I’ve got to get them ready. They weren’t ready to play.”

Randolph returned after having missed the previous seven games because of a knee injury. The Grizzlies were still without injured starters Marc Gasol and Mike Conley, more than offsetting the Clippers’ absence of star power forward Blake Griffin.

But the Clippers (43-25) looked like the short-handed team from the start, falling behind by 10 points midway through the first quarter and continually having to fight back against a team that had lost its previous four games.

“I think we took them lightly,” Clippers forward Wesley Johnson said. “They came out and they played harder and we didn’t respond to it.”

The Clippers were within 91-88 after Chris Paul made a baseline jumper midway through the fourth quarter. Then the Grizzlies went on an 11-2 run and that was that.

Paul’s 25 points and Jordan’s 16 were not nearly enough on a night the Clippers were outscored in the paint, 40-24, and outrebounded, 44-30. Normally offensively challenged Memphis guard Tony Allen finished with 22 points on seven-for-10 shooting.

The Grizzlies were down another man after the NBA suspended forward Matt Barnes. It was a better day for Lance Stephenson, another former Clipper, who scored 12 points while making several nice moves and prompting one fan to thank Rivers for trading him to the Grizzlies.

The loss increased the likelihood of these teams meeting in the first round of the playoffs. The Clippers hold a four-game lead over Memphis (40-30) for the No. 4 seeding, which entails home-court advantage, and are now four games behind Oklahoma City for No. 3.

Rivers said his team needed to be more physical and mentally tough to beat the Grizzlies.

“It’s a game of competition,” Rivers said. “They don’t put your jerseys up and say, ‘This is your name and this is your name’ and you get to win. You have to compete.”

Follow Ben Bolch on Twitter @latbbolch