ONE UP: Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan (left) dunks the ball against the Memphis Grizzlies during their NBA clash, at Memphis on Saturday. (EPA)
DPA/Los Angeles
In last year’s NBA playoffs, the Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Memphis Grizzlies in a hard-fought seven-game series. Should they meet again this year, the Clippers still appear to have the edge.
Reserve Eric Bledsoe led a fourth-quarter rally as the visiting Clippers held on for their fifth straight win, a crucial 91-87 victory over the Grizzlies on Saturday night. DeAndre Jordan had 16 points and 12 rebounds and Blake Griffin added 12 and nine for the Clippers (54-26), who drew even with the Grizzlies (54-26) in the Western Conference, one-half game behind third-place Denver (54-25).
“We’ve been asked about this game and how big it was,” Griffin said. “We came out and took care of business.”
“It’s a big win for us,” added Clippers guard Chris Paul, who scored 13 points. “Everybody knows the West is crazy right now with that 3-4-5 seed and we needed to get this one just in case we finished with the same record (as Memphis).”
The win gave the Clippers the season series, 3-1. If the teams finish tied for fourth, Los Angeles will have the home court edge. More importantly, the Clippers snapped a 13-game home winning streak by the Grizzlies and have won four of their last six visits to Memphis.
“We feel like we can play anywhere,” Clippers guard Jamal Crawford said. “If we have to see them again, it will be a great matchup.”
“It’s a dogfight every game,” Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins added. “They’re a very competitive team. We’re a very competitive team.”
Bledsoe scored just nine points, but five came in the pivotal 14-0 surge. He found Grant Hill for a three-pointer, then missed a driving layup that Hill put home for a 77-77 tie with 8:40 to go. Bledsoe sank a short jumper and three-pointer before a dunk by Ryan Hollins gave Los Angeles an 86-77 lead with 6:17 left.
The Grizzlies responded with a pair of follow shots by Zach Randolph, a bucket by Tony Allen and two free-throws by Mike Conley to cut the deficit to 86-85 with 3:34 remaining. Paul answered with a tough corner jumper over Allen. “I love the ball in those situations,” Paul said.
The Grizzlies sputtered down the stretch. Allen missed two free-throws and Conley missed a jumper before Randolph scored inside to make it 88-87 with 23 seconds to play.
“I knew it was coming,” Griffin said. “I just worked my way around it and was fortunate to get a hand on it.”
Bryant could be out for up to 9 months
Los Angeles: Kobe Bryant has undergone surgery on an injured Achilles tendon and could be sidelined for up to nine months, the Los Angeles Lakers said on Saturday. Bryant, the fourth leading scorer in NBA history, sustained the injury late in the Lakers’ win over the Golden State Warriors on Friday. The Lakers announced the surgery had been a success but said in a statement he would be out for a “minimum of six to nine months”.
Bryant will miss any playoff action for the Lakers, if they can hang on to the final berth in the Western Conference, and could well be ruled out for a chunk of next season. The 34-year-old was quick to dismiss talk of his career being under threat, however.
“Really, are you kidding?” he responded to reporters in the locker room. “Obviously there’s a bunch of players that have had this same injury, so I know I can do this. All I can do is what they’ve done, who had more success getting back quicker and healthier, and see what they did and see if I can improve upon it.”
The Lakers have recovered from a poor start to the season to push themselves into playoff contention but their chances of making an impact will be sorely hurt by the loss of their leading player. Bryant said the injury was the most disappointing moment he has had in his career. “We worked so hard to put ourselves in a position where we control our own fate,” he said. “It is just terrible feeling…”
The injury occurred in fairly innocuous fashion as he went to pass Warriors wing Harrison Barnes, driving to his left before slumping to the floor. Bryant initially stayed on court, limping to the free-throw line and standing on one leg to score two free-throws before heading to the locker room for treatment.