Tag Archives: Marc Gasol

Doc Rivers: Saturday’s game at Memphis won’t be playoff preview

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Blake Griffin

Blake Griffin/Photo courtesy of Los Angeles Clippers

 

If the season were to end right now, the Clippers and Memphis Grizzlies would play one another in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs as the Clippers (43-14) are in fourth-place and the Grizzlies (39-30) are in fifth.

But Clippers coach Doc Rivers said that when the teams square off Saturday at 5 p.m. at Memphis, it will not a playoff preview because both teams figure to look different than they currently do because of injuries. The Clippers will have power forward Blake Griffin (quad, hand) back for the postseason and the Grizzlies should have back power forward Zach Randolph (sore knee) and point guard Mike Conley (Achilles’ tendinitis).

“At the end of the day, you just come out and play each individual game right now and the playoffs will be a different beast,” Rivers said. “Memphis is a playoff-type team. They’re rugged, they’re tough, so you have to be ready for that.

“But to be honest, there is no thought (about the playoffs) going into that tomorrow night, I can tell you that.”

That’s not to mention that Memphis center Marc Gasol (foot) is out for the season.

VIDEO: Check out this monster dunk by DeAndre Jordan over Marc Gasol

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DeAndre Jordan has been on a tear of late, what with Blake Griffin out with an injury the past several games. You might say he was really feeling it when he threw down this monster dunk over the Memphis Grizzlies’ Marc Gasol in the first quarter Monday at Staples Center. Check it out:

 

Doc Rivers says his bigs were not entirely to blame for loss at Memphis

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Zach Randolph of Memphis goes up for a shot during the Grizzlies’ 107-91 victory Sunday over the Clippers/Photo by Associated Press

 

Do the math. Memphis got 30 points and 12 rebounds from post Marc Gasol and 10 points and eight rebounds from power forward Zach Randolph in the Grizzlies’ 107-91 victory over the Clippers on Sunday in Memphis. That’s a combined 40 points and 20 rebounds; Gasol shot 13 of 18, Randolph 5 of 11.

The Clippers got 12 points and just four rebounds from power forward Blake Griffin; he shot just 5 of 17. They got a meager two points and three rebounds from post DeAndre Jordan, who took just two shots and made one. That’s a combined 14 points and seven rebounds.

Suffice to say, the Clippers were thrashed in the battle of the bigs. But coach Doc Rivers wouldn’t put it all on Griffin and Jordan.

“I don’t think it was their entire fault,” Rivers said afterward. “We had great looks that we didn’t make. I thought our guards had trouble in the paint. I thought our bigs had to help a lot tonight. When they have to help  that much, it is not good. I felt bad. It looked like the bigs had a breakdown, but it was really a team breakdown. I thought we got great looks and missed them. We never bounced back.

“Blake Griffin is fine. He has played great the last few games. I think Marc Gasol played great and our team was off. Maybe they took us out of it.”

The Grizzlies at 12-2 have the NBA’s best record.

“I told the guys at the beginning of the year, when you look at the Grizzlies’ record when they are healthy, they are a great team,” Rivers said.

Memphis is 8-0 at home, which is FedExForum.

 

Chris Paul doles out high praise to Memphis Grizzlies’ post Marc Gasol

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Marc Gasol

Marc Gasol of the Grizzlies was the biggest reason why the Clippers lost to Memphis on Sunday/Photo courtesy of Memphis Grizzlies, NBA.com

 

To say Chris Paul was impressed with Marc Gasol of the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday would be putting it mildly. Gasol, a 7-foot-1, 265-pound post, scored 30 points on 13 of 18 shooting. He also grabbed 12 rebounds and blocked two shots in Memphis’ 107-91 victory over the Clippers.

“I know he (Gasol) is a great, great man along with Zac Randolph, and clearly they know how to play the game,” Paul said. “You can’t let talented players like that get going. And if you do, it’s going to be a long night.”

Randolph, the Grizzlies’ 6-9, 260-pound power forward, had 10 points and eight rebounds in the game.

On the season, Gasol is averaging 19.9 points and 8.1 rebounds. Randolph is averaging 16.1 points and 11.8 rebounds. Memphis at 12-2 has the NBA’s best record.

The Clippers, now 7-5, play today (Monday) at 4 at Charlotte (4-10) (on Prime Ticket).

Five things to take from Clippers’ 107-91 loss Sunday at Memphis

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Blake Griffin

Blake Griffin had just four rebounds in Sunday’s loss at Memphis/Photo courtesy of Los Angeles Clippers, NBA.com

 

– Blake Griffin pulled down just four rebounds in 33 minutes. For a 6-foot-10, 250-pound power forward with a career rebounding average 10.0, that is not good. Griffin is averaging just 6.8 rebounds through 12 games this season. That is easily the lowest output of his career. He averaged 9.5 a season ago, 8.3 in 2012-13, 10.9 in 2011-12 and 12.1 in his rookie season in 2010-11.

– The Clippers were out-rebounded by a whopping 52-32. Aside from Griffin’s poor output on the boards, post DeAndre Jordan pulled down just three measly rebounds in 20 minutes, and he went into the game leading the league at 12.2 per game; he’s now fifth at 11.4. Jordan had four fouls. Still, the Clippers (7-5) will have a hard time beating good teams when they are out-rebounded by 20. Spencer Hawes had 10 rebounds off the bench. Other than that, Chris Paul – a 6-foot guard – was next with five.

– The loss notwithstanding, the aforementioned Paul did his part. Besides the five rebounds, Paul scored a team-high 22 points on 7 of 13 shooting. He made all seven of his free throws, doled out five assists and made four steals with just two turnovers in 34 minutes.

– The Clippers had won the first two games of the road trip – over Orlando and Miami – and looked good doing it. But after getting 31 assists in a 110-93 victory at Miami on Thursday, the Clippers managed only 14 against the high-flying Grizzlies (12-2). Paul’s team-leading five were well under his 9.5 average.

– The Clippers were out-played in many areas. But the biggest item of note is that they were simply dominated by Memphis big-man Marc Gasol, who owned the Clippers by scoring 30 points on 13 of 18 shooting. He also pulled down 12 rebounds and blocked two shots. For the Clippers, Jordan had two points and those three rebounds. And no blocks.

Clippers can’t bring same effort against Memphis, team with NBA’s top record

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Jamal Crawford

Jamal Crawford/Photo courtesy of Los Angeles Clippers, NBA.com

 

Even though the Clippers had won the first two games of this road trip, those victories came against a mediocre Orlando team and a Miami team that not only no longer has LeBron James, but was missing guard Dwyane Wade to injury.

Since Memphis has been so good at the outset of this season, you had to know the Clippers would be in much deeper waters when they took on the Grizzlies on Sunday afternoon at FedExForum in Memphis. Surely, they were as Memphis rolled to a 107-91 victory behind the fine effort of post Marc Gasol. He scored 30 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and blocked two shots.

Memphis out-rebounded the Clippers 52-32.

Jamal Crawford scored 19 points for the Clippers (7-5). He explained.

“The first two games, we didn’t take the ball out of the net as much. I think our defense was a little bit better,” Crawford said. “But tonight we didn’t move the ball as well. We didn’t really push the pace, and we’ve got to do better.”

The Grizzlies shot 49.1 percent from the field. In victories over Orlando (114-90) on Wednesday and Miami (110-93) on Thursday, the Clippers held the Magic and Heat to respective shooting percentages of 39.5 and 44.8.

Of course, it’s always tougher to play solid defense against the team with the best record in the NBA, and Memphis is that at 12-2. The Grizzlies top the Western Conference standings with a one-game lead over Golden State (10-2). The Clippers are tied for ninth with New Orleans.