Clippers finish strong for gritty road win against Grizzlies

By CLAY BAILEY The Associated Press

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The Clippers wrapped up their three-game road trip with a gritty win.

Norman Powell scored 29 points, including four in the final 25 seconds, to lead the Clippers to a 114-110 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday night, snapping the Grizzlies’ eight-game home winning streak.

Powell’s 15-footer with 25.4 seconds left broke a 110-all tie, and he added two game-clinching free throws with 5.7 seconds to go as the Clippers won for the third time in four games.

James Harden had 21 points, nine assists and eight rebounds for the Clippers (17-13), and Ivica Zubac finished with 20 points and a season-high 20 rebounds – the second 20-20 game of his career.

Jaren Jackson Jr. led the Grizzlies (20-10) with 24 points. Ja Morant added 23 and Desmond Bane finished with 21 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. Rookie big man Zach Edey grabbed a career-high 14 rebounds as Memphis lost for just the second time in eight games overall.

The Grizzlies put together a 10-0 run midway through the fourth quarter to take a 103-101 lead before Harden stepped up. Harden scored seven straight – including his only 3-pointer on six attempts – during a personal run for a 108-103 advantage. The Clippers never trailed again.

Memphis went ahead 63-53 early in the third quarter on a spinning, 360-degree layup by Morant that went viral almost instantly. The Grizzlies were on the break with Jaylen Wells leading the attack. He found Morant near the top of the key, and the 6-foot-2 star went straight at Zubac protecting the rim. At the last second, Morant spun like a cyclone, flipped the ball over his head from the left side and banked it in.

However, the Clippers followed with a 17-3 run that included two put-backs from Zubac for a 70-66 lead. The Clippers led by as many as seven points (88-81) late in the quarter after two free throws by Kevin Porter Jr.

The game was close throughout. By late in the fourth quarter, there had been 13 lead changes and nine ties.

The Clippers held Memphis to 38% shooting from the field and converted 19 Grizzlies turnovers into 31 points.

Memphis leads the NBA with 58.7 points in the paint per game but the Clippers held them to 42. The Grizzlies also finished 13 points below their league-leading scoring average.

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The Clippers host Golden State on Friday at 7 p.m.