Clippers 94, Grizzlies 92

J.J. Redick scored six points in the final 55 seconds to rally the Los Angeles Clippers to a 94-92 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday night, snapping a two-game skid.

The Griz finished a five-game road trip with a three-game losing streak. In a league dominated by the wily three-point bombings of Stephen Curry and Co., the Memphis Grizzlies may finally be a team too old-school to contend. At their best, they “grit and grind” out games with their defense, and get just enough of the high-low combos and smart passing of Gasol and Randolph, combined with Conley’s underrated helmsmanship. The Grizzlies are 5-0 ATS in the last 5 meetings in Los Angeles and 10-2 ATS in the last 12 meetings overall. Is it time to make a drastic move?

Gasol had two free throws with a chance to tie the game, but missed the second, sealing the game for the Clippers. Usually, with a team that has been through so much for so long, moral victories aren’t the kind of thing a fanbase can get excited about-and the Griz aren’t out of the woods yet-but at least they made it a close game last night and only lost because of a missed free throw.

We all saw in the 2015 playoffs how Golden State Warriors coach, Steve Kerr, put the lumbering center Andrew Bogut on Grizzlies defensive wing super-sub, Tony Allen. Then, their defense became porous. After attempting to run out the clock, Chris Paul got fouled with.

The Grizzlies came back to take the lead by one late in the fourth, but JJ Redick hit a three-pointer and three free throws in the final minute of the game.

The absence of Chris Paul from the line-up will not help their cause against the Grizzlies as the star point guard is doubtful to play in this marquee match-up.

However, it was not as easy at sounds as Matt Barnes drew a foul against Chris Paul which cut the lead to only one point after the former Clipper made all three shots.

Whenever the game reached a frenetic pace, the Griz walked the ball up the court and fed the post.

In particular, the Allen-Randolph-Gasol grouping is problematic. Courtney Lee fouled Jamal Crawford quickly to send the Clippers to the line again, and the veteran guard made both his shots to bring the score to 92-89. At this point, it may be better for the Grizzlies to try something as user “Karmaloop” points out. Griffin shown here, slam dunks during a game at Staples Center on October 29, 2015, in Los Angeles California. He and Conley settled the Griz after they started the game by committing a turnover and missing four straight shots.

Griz reserve forward/center Brandan Wright missed the game with a sore right knee. Clippers coach Doc Rivers even restricted Paul’s playing time and frequently subbed in backup Austin Rivers.

As one of the most talented teams on paper, the deep roster assured many critics that the Clippers are serious title challengers this season. Barnes received a warm ovation from the Staples Center crowd.