Clippers use big third quarter to defeat the Grizzlies

Anthony De Leon, Los Angeles Times on Feb 13, 2025

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What started as a back-and-forth battle between the Clippers, who have one of the NBA’s best defenses, and the Memphis Grizzlies, who have the league’s top offense, was decided by the Clippers’ 36-point third quarter, which led them to a 128-114 victory Wednesday night at the Intuit Dome.

The Clippers, led by Kawhi Leonard and James Harden, saw their lead surge to as high as 23 points in the third, too much for the Grizzlies, who were playing without Ja Morant.

Leonard played a season-high 34 minutes, scoring 25 points, four assists, and five rebounds. Harden added a near triple-double, scoring 18 points, 10 assists, and eight rebounds.

A three-pointer in the third quarter gave Harden his 26,974th point, moving him into sole possession of 13th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list, surpassing Hakeem Olajuwon.

While the Grizzlies entered the game boasting the highest-scoring offense in the league (123.5 PPG), they were without superstar point guard Morant, forcing them to look elsewhere for offense.

The two-time All-Star, who averages 20.7 points, 7.4 assists, and 4.3 rebounds, was ruled out just before tipoff due to knee soreness.

This absence proved to be the Grizzlies’ downfall, as the Clippers — ranked third in points allowed (107.8) and steals (9.4) — took advantage of bad matchups and stifled their offense.

One of the league’s top defensive teams, the Clippers’ 17 steals, 21 turnovers, and 41 points off turnovers played a significant role in keeping the Grizzlies below their season average.

Before the game, Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said he would insert Kris Dunn into the starting lineup to alleviate the pressure the Grizzlies presented on offense.

This move was a boost for the Clippers, with Dunn — who replaced Derrick Jones Jr. — delivering his largest scoring output of the season. He finished with 14 points and set a season-high from beyond the arc, making all four of his three-point shots.

He played an all-around productive game, adding three rebounds, five assists, and five steals.

Bogdan Bogdanovic made his Clipper debut after arriving from the Atlanta Hawks at the trade deadline. The three-point specialist nailed his first three-point attempt to much fanfare.

However, the Serbian would only play 18 minutes, scoring seven points.

Ivica Zubac also contributed a double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds, while Norman Powell added 18 points.

With the win, the Clippers are now 2 ½ games behind the Lakers in the Pacific Division with one game remaining before the All-Star break. They will face the Jazz in Utah before heading into the break.

Meanwhile, the Clippers will have to wait another day for Ben Simmons’ debut. He sat out for reconditioning and missed the first game of the team’s back-to-back, but he is expected to play Thursday.

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